Schwarze Unterwelt
by Laziness and Procrastination
Summary: Revised as of 2008, AU, eventual Kai/Ray. Torn between his loyalty to his family and his affections for his friends, Ray must make a choice.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not Ours.**

Schwarze Unterwelt Chapter 1  


* * *

Ray watched as the last silvers of moonlight disappeared behind an errant cloud. There were hardly any stars out tonight,  
as though even the heavens were in agreement with his plan. And now the only other light source had too gone into  
hiding.

It was time. This would be the night that was yielded through months of planning and weeks of preparation.

Shouldering his pack, the twelve year old cast a cursory glance over his extravagant room - the place that had held him  
prisoner for all his life. A gilded cage, some called it. He supposed he was slightly wistful about leaving the only place he  
knew as home. It was the last time he would ever set sight upon this place, if he had any control over it.

Securing the end of his improvised rope of bed sheets to the balcony's banister, he peeked over the edge, watching as  
the guard passed under his window. He had not spent all those months studying and memorizing the movements of their  
internal security only to jeopardize his first and only chance of escape.

Dropping the other end of the rope over the railings and swinging himself over, Ray slithered down to land quietly in the  
courtyard. He eyed the wall at the far end cryptically - his goal lay beyond that wall. Stepping toward it, he cringed as the  
snapping of twigs under his shoes sliced through the silence in the yard like whips slapping on flagstones. But he knew he  
hardly had time to consider his options.

After a last check to ensure no one had come running, he made a mad dash toward the other end of the courtyard. He  
could hear his heart pounding in his ears as fear and adrenaline raced through him.

He scaled the tree nearest the wall with little effort, pausing on a particularly stable branch. He removed the other rope  
from his pack and secured one end around the branch, tightening the loop so it would hold. He stiffened when he heard  
voices drifting up to him from below. Barely daring to look, he spied two guards conversing directly below his tree, pointing  
toward something he could only guess at.

Panic gripped him - the taste of freedom was so tangible, he could almost feel it. It was just there, beyond the wall! He  
daren't breathe until the guards started to move away slowly. Knowing it was too risky to stay there any longer; he  
dropped the rope over the wall and leapt, swinging himself over the walls. He made his way down, careful not to make  
any more noise.

A sigh of relief escaped him when his foot finally touched the ground beyond the wall. He was free. Free from those  
never-ending responsibilities that plagued the life of royalty. Free of those countless rules of etiquette and court that he  
could never seem to understand why all of it was necessary. It only took one visit to the 'outside world' to show him there  
were more ways to live than be cooped up in a birdcage and never fly free. He had hated that life. But that was all in the  
past, and there was no way he was going back.

He drew in a deep breath, stepping towards the world that had always seemed so distant to him. It was everything, yet  
nothing he expected. Houses of bricks instead of the marble he had always known, dusty pavements in place of the  
never-ending corridors that had represented his past. The stars were his only constant; their twinkle was the same both  
in and out of his prison walls.

A grin tugged at his features, a sense of wonderment and adventure easing its way through his jumble of emotions. He let  
his feet take him wherever they wanted - it mattered not where he went now, as long as it was some place far from  
where he once lived.

There was hardly anyone left on the streets now; it was pretty late after all. He savoured the silence that surrounded him,  
the peacefulness like a balm to his frazzled nerves.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

Ray almost leapt a mile high, his grip tightening around the strap of his pack. He scanned his surroundings wildly, mentally  
berating himself for neglecting to be alert especially in light of his recent activities. However, there was nary a soul around.

He forced himself to calm down, taking in measured breaths as his ears strained to pick up any other sound or people. He  
wasn't to be disappointed, for moments later he heard a distinctive thump followed by a groan, coming from an alleyway  
some distance away. He hurried towards the source and ground to a halt as he took in the scene before him.

A figure lay unmoving on the dirt-strewn ground, at the feet of a young boy roughly his age. The youngster had a shock  
of red hair, so eerily similar to the rusty-red puddle collecting near the prone figure. The youngster was fairly well built,  
and his posture spoke volumes of his apparent rough upbringing.

His eyes however were drawn to the youngster's hands – for they were stained the same colour as the slick red liquid  
that was staining the ground, making faint plopping sounds as it dripped off the appendage. A muffled gasp escaped his  
lips and the he found himself staring into frozen pools of sapphire, rooting him to the spot.

A feral grin stretched across the boy's features as he realized he had a spectator. Raising his hands to his lips, Ray gaped  
in abject horror as he licked off the excess blood, seeming to enjoy the mortified look on his audience's face. He had only  
faintly noted the slight narrowing of the youth's eyes before he found himself flung backward, landing roughly on the  
ground some distance away.

His hands instinctively went to clutch at his gut, willing the stabbing pain to ebb away. He barely had time to look up  
before his assailant was upon him, delivering a swift kick to his chest, which he awkwardly blocked, rolling on his side to  
get away from the sudden onslaught of attacks. His opponent beckoned almost tauntingly, feral grin turning sinister in the  
few short seconds.

Enraged, he charged, dropping low to deliver a punch to his opponent's gut but only caught air. He twisted, just in time to  
see a swift kick aimed for his chest before it caught him head-on. He flew, slamming against the wall and sliding down into  
a disheveled heap on the ground.

His breaths left him in short gasps, spots dancing in his vision as his lungs fought for oxygen. The attacks paused and he  
struggled to his feet, unwilling to go down without a fight. However, the youth was distracted with the arrival of a  
blue-haired newcomer.

"Enough," he shivered at the startling cold tone, "he may prove to be more useful to us alive."

Any resistance the red-haired boy had meant to display wilted under the intense glare the newcomer sent his way.

"Bring him. We're leaving."

With that, the boy turned and left, leaving Ray alone with the red-haired teen again. He tensed when the boy shuffled  
over to him, but he only grabbed him and proceeded to drag him off to wherever they were supposed to go.

Briefly he wondered if it was just his luck that was horrible. How he managed to get embroiled in a situation he wasn't  
even sure of - he'd probably never find out.

And whilst he did not appreciate being dragged off to some unknown place, he wasn't about to argue with someone that  
could possibly beat him to a bloody pulp, tear him to bits and feed him to the dogs all in a day's work. And he'd probably  
be grinning like a maniac too. He could only hope that wherever they were bringing him, it was safe and far away from the  
palace.

'First night out of home and I run into these people? Not I just know my life is going to turn out into an epic adventure,' he  
mused sardonically.

There was no point trying to figure this out. It'd probably just give him a huge headache, which would do nothing to  
improve his situation. It was probably a waste of time trying to understand these people anyway, and he wasn't going to  
waste the effort. Period. Besides, how bad could they be?

Famous last words indeed.

* * *

  
TBC

Please R&R

Edit (15 Aug 2009 1:29 a.m.): After re-reading this, we realise how much we've improved in the span of 10 chapters.. first  
time readers..it DOES get better. Non-first timers, you know it got better. Hmm... our ego seems to be growing much?

Edit (15 Aug 2009 2.28 a.m.): Fixed the gaping errors we spotted in previous read through. Chapter should be a tad more  
readable now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not Ours**

******Schwarze Unterwelt - Chapter 2**

* * *

Ray was hardly the happiest person around at this point in time. It would be expected, coming  
from someone that was just beaten up by a red-haired freak, saved by a blue-haired freak  
and was now forced to tag along behind said two freaks.

He might not be an unappreciative person, but if he was going to be saved only to be forced  
into doing God knows what with God knows who, he'd rather they just left him alone. And, he  
was hungry. And tired. And he was sure he wasn't the cleanest, nicest smelling person around  
now. He took a confirmation sniff at his clothes to check. Bleargh. Besides, he still ached from the  
multiple bruises Mr. Red over there had so generously inflicted on him, without any provocation too.

With all these factors added together, these two strangers were not finding themselves in his  
good books any time soon. Obviously that was not what they were aiming on in the first place,  
but it would have been nice if it were. Thusly, he felt they deserved a good bit of annoying, and  
he knew just how to go about that.

"Where are we going?" Ray whined, his voice a good pitch higher than necessary.

His travel companions appeared to have ignored him, though he did not miss the crease on the  
redhead's brow deepen. He bit back a smirk, picking up his pace a little so that he was almost on  
par with the redhead.

"Hey, I said, where are we going?"

He had to restrain himself from tugging at the redhead's clothes, unsure what _that_ action might  
bring. Instead, he satisfied himself by directing big wobbly puppy eyes at his victim. He almost  
grinned, watching as his target struggled to decide if going against the blue-haired stranger's  
commands was worth the satisfaction of decapitating his source of annoyance.

"Shut up and walk."

He paused, turning to stare at the blue-haired stranger a distance away. As much as he had  
enjoyed being irritating to no end, he wasn't about to try his luck with _him_. Grudgingly, he  
trudged on behind them, mouth tightly clamped shut.

The night sky had just begun to lighten when they finally broke out of the cover of trees.  
Surrounding them was what seemed to be a small village; wooden huts and houses were  
clustered together in the large clearing.

He didn't have the liberty of time to survey his surroundings further, for the blue-haired boy had  
signaled for him to follow. It was only then that he realized the other teen had left. He briefly  
pondered if it was prudent to blindly follow him around, but curiosity won out.

There were few people up and about in the village; most were probably still asleep. He had  
garnered quite a few stares as they weaved through the village, and was beginning to feel  
uncomfortable when they came to a stop before on of the wooden huts.

"You may rest here for the time being," the blue-haired teen said, once they were both within the  
hut and the door firmly shut behind them.

Ray took a cursory glance about the room - it was rather sparsely furnished - a mat was rolled up  
in a corner, and a small wooden table sat in the middle of the hut. There were no pictures, no  
elaborate vases, or any thick draperies. Turning his attention back to the boy, his eyes narrowed  
in suspicion.

"What are your plans for me?"

"It is not uncommon for us to take in runaways," the boy replied, turning to leave.

Ray blinked in surprise at how easily he had guessed he was a runaway. Well, he wasn't really  
hiding the fact though.

"Ray," he offered, stopping the boy as he was leaving.

"…?" The boy turned, a confused glint in his red eyes.

"My name is Ray," he paused, "What's yours?"

"…Kai."

With that, the door slid shut behind him, leaving him alone to his own thoughts. Sighing, he slid his  
backpack off his shoulder, settling down in the middle of the room.

Now that he had the time to look over the hut once more, he found it to be a rather pleasant setting.  
Despite the emptiness, it was rather comfortable - obviously the owner was quite a neat freak;  
nothing seemed to be out of place although there wasn't much furniture to displace.

He wondered if Kai was the owner of this hut. Somehow, the bare necessities that made up this hut  
made him feel right at home, even if it wasn't what he had gotten used to over the years. It was  
too dark, however. It was almost stifling.

He fumbled around slightly in the semi-dark until he managed to get to the window, throwing it open  
with relish. With slightly better lighting, he now noticed a small dark colored bag sitting inconspicuously  
next to the rolled up mat. Curious, he moved over, kneeling before it and picking it up.

'It's fairly heavy for a bag so small,' he mused.

Tugging the strings open, there was a clatter as the items within the pouch fell out onto the wooden  
ground. Eyes widening a fraction in surprise, he studied the small amount black weaponry in front of him.  
They were well made, and seemed to be very well maintained too. Obviously, whomever it belonged to  
had been putting it to good use.

Frowning, he quickly slid the items back into the pouch, securing it and leaving it back where it was.  
There were so many mysteries surrounding the people he had been dragged off with. For starters, where  
the heck was he anyway? He didn't think the weird stares the village people gave him were normal, and  
it made him wonder who exactly these people were.

'Just my luck, I suppose,' he groaned, flinging himself back onto the wooden ground and shutting his  
eyes in frustration.

He hoped he wasn't in too much trouble now.

* * *

Sometimes, he wondered about his sanity. After all, picking up unknown kids off the road would hardly  
constitute as normal; neither would bringing said kid back to your own humble abode, and subsequently  
leaving him there, alone, amidst your personal belongings. So what if he had a fair inkling as to what that  
kid was, anyway? He doubted whoever he was going to see now would feel too charitable to what he  
had done.

If he were any younger, he just might have had tried to sneak off and avoid this meeting. But he wasn't,  
and there was no point in pondering on what ifs. Even if he felt as though he was walking to the gallows  
themselves.

The village people continued to stare at him - he had long become accustomed to that particular aspect of  
life here. It was times like this that he felt his mask of indifference served him well.

The pathway narrowed slightly before him and he slipped through the slim gap between the trees, finding  
himself once more in the familiar surroundings of a large clearing. In the middle, a domineering house  
seemed to stare down at him. No matter how many times he was here, he would never be able to shake of  
the feeling of being watched like a prey.

Stepping forward, he made his way toward the entrance where two guards were stationed. The guards  
nodded at his presence, knocking on the door behind them. A moment later, the door was opened and Kai  
stepped through.

He moved to the middle of the room, coming to kneel before the Chief. Even with his head bowed, he could  
feel the intensity of the stare fixed upon him, as though he was being scanned from head to toe. He forced  
himself to throw of the niggling feeling at the back of his mind - years of this treatment had taught him to get  
used to it. It wouldn't be first, nor last time anyways.

"Tala reported that you brought back an outsider," the Chief began; voice chillingly cold, "Explain yourself."

"The outsider's clothes speak of his nobility. Even if we do not use him for… ulterior motives, there are other  
ways we can make him useful. He should prove as a sufficient enough distraction should any of our  
operations fail."

Silence filled the room after his statement, as the Chief seemed to mull over his suggestions. Having a back  
up plan was another thing that had been drilled into his mentality since young.

"Very well," the Chief replied after a long pause, and he had to bite back a relieved sigh, "He will be your  
responsibility. Train him well to be loyal to our cause."

"Of course."

* * *

TBC

Yes, we are re-writing this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not Ours.**

**Schwarze Unterwelt Chapter 3  
**

* * *

An extract taken from The Chronicles of Kon Ray

* * *

_f Day Ã Month f Year  
_

There was another party today. Everyone was staring, not that I should be any surprised  
anymore. One would think I'm a rare species on the verge of extinction. Do they not know  
it was rude to stare?

Mother says that I should learn to mingle with the crowd more often, although I feel that I  
have been doing enough mingling to last me a lifetime. But I could not possibly tell Mother  
that - it would be have been considered unmannered and disrespectful for a gentleman to  
disgrace his elder, especially a lady, in public.

If I could, I would love to slip away from this world. How could anyone covet this life I lead?  
There is hardly any privacy, never mind about personal space. My days are filled with studies  
and training - it has become quite a bore now.

Oh, Father is calling for me. I had best be going, before he goes into one of his moods again.

* * *

_l Day Ã Month f Year  
_

I have been conversing with our head-of-security today, and it seems that my plan just might  
work! There are loopholes to be manipulated, and it becomes essentially easy - if one is the  
Young Master of the house. Now I just have to come out with a foolproof plan, and perhaps…  
(Some ink splatters - it seems the book has been hurriedly shut)

Oh, that was too close for comfort! Mother had come in, and I doubt she would be too  
charitable to my plans. I think she might suspect something, but I'm not quite certain. It seems I  
have to put more effort pretending to be normal, lest my plans get foiled before it comes to  
fruition. There is much to do, and I best not dally in unnecessary things. Father should be happy  
enough that I am taking interest in the household's affairs now, at least, so he should not be  
too bothersome about what I ask.

Perhaps it would be prudent to hide this book somewhere safe. I wonder… would the gardens do?

* * *

_Ã Day J Month f Year  
_

At last, it seems my plans can be put to action! It has been a busy week, and the guests had only  
just cleared the compound after our annual dinner ball. Mother sure loves to throw parties -  
perhaps it was something to do with the nature of women?

But I doubt I will have to put up with this any longer. Pretending to be normal has been more trying  
than ever, and Father _had_ been slightly suspicious of my newfound interest in household matters.  
I did not miss the sparkle of delight in his eyes, however, when I started to ask him about the  
country's army. Suffice to say it had been an interesting experience fooling the entire household  
whilst gaining valuable information.

* * *

_Y Day J Month f Year  
_

The preparations are ready. I have written a list of the things I would like to bring along with me on  
my journey, so I would not forget anything in my hurry to leave.

Rope (2)

Clothes

Underclothes

Chika

Diary

Coverlet

I fear I may have roused Father's suspicion this night - I could not help but feel a little restless for  
what is to come. I can only hope they do not presume any illness to my excitement, and retirement to  
bed at the usual hour. I must be packing now - it should soon be getting dark.

* * *

_F Day J Month f Year  
_

It is unfathomable how I manage to get myself into a mess all the time. Although my escape has been  
a grand success - for which I am extremely elated about, I have unwittingly found myself in another  
strange situation.

I had barely traveled 8 miles before I chanced upon a young brute tormenting a youngster. Once I tried  
to intervene, he actually had the gall to turn on _me_! If Father heard of it… but I'm sure he would not  
hear anything about me, not if I have anything to do with it.

In any case, another stranger, later introduced as Kai, had turned up to stop the fight, although I was  
pretty sure I could have easily beaten the youngster if I had more time. Perhaps it wasn't the brightest  
idea to follow them to wherever I am now, but there is naught I can do about it now.

Perhaps I should rest, and when I awaken I will think of something to do here. Who knows what these  
people do for a living anyway? I doubt the gold I brought along will last very long if I do not find a  
suitable job quickly.

* * *

_l Day J Month f Year  
_

'Livid' would barely cover how I truly feel now, and I must say that I have entertained quite a few  
thoughts of manslaughter in the past few hours.

This Kai has absolutely no sense of propriety whatsoever! To think that he would dare take my possessions  
and _sell_ them without my permission! And yet, to still look nonchalant about the act itself!

I cannot help but find myself wondering if all common folk are as boorish as he is. It is only through pure luck  
and some tactic that I managed to save my most treasured possession from his evil grasp. What would I do  
if Chika, my most beloved and adored stuffed bunny were to be _sold_! Oh, the horror; I just might have to  
harm him to prove my point if that had happened!

* * *

_Ã Day J Month f Year_

Now that I have managed to take a look around this village (as far as I possibly could anyway, Kai was being  
mull-headed), I realize it is not as large as I thought first. Of course, Kai was not very pleased with the idea  
of me leaving the dismal four walls that is now my sleeping quarters, but there is hardly anything to do  
anyway. It is a miracle I have not gone half mad by now.

Sometimes when I get too listless, I find myself thinking of Mother and Father. I do wonder after their  
well-being; I suppose Mother would be worried over mine as well. Nevertheless, it is pointless to ponder upon  
things over which I have no control, as I have presently come to realize after hours of chasing thoughts around  
my head.

Speaking of Father, I should start acting as someone of my stature. Father once said 'one's appearance reflects  
their circumstance'. And since I am not going back where I came from, I should at least attempt to blend in with  
the people around me. It would only hasten my capture if I stick out like a sore thumb. So perhaps Kai was right  
when he sold my clothes, although I still do not agree with the manner he went about it.

Speaking of which, he had mentioned something about training over supper. I wonder what he's planning to do  
- that smirk I had glimpsed is definitely not a good sign.

* * *

_x Day J Month f Year  
_

Once again, I should have known better! It wasn't just _training_, it was practically boot camp! One would think I  
am aspiring to enter the barracks if they didn't know better! Those bruises from before still hurt and now I've  
more added to my pretty collection. Fabulous.

I cannot believe I got beaten by him though. I though I had trained well enough, but maybe Father had been  
going easy on me. Seems like I will have something to berate the old man for if I see him again. _If_.

I will have to work harder tomorrow - I am confident I can beat him! There's no way I can be weaker than him!

* * *

_À Day J Month f Year__  
_

I take that back. I doubt I will be able to continue with this insane training regime any longer. I can barely hold  
my pen in my hand… so sleepy…

* * *

_Y Day Ï Month f Year  
_

I finally beat him! Although he still refuses to admit it, but I've got his tooth for a souvenir and there is no way  
I am relinquishing my hold over it. That has got to be the most beautiful roundhouse kick I've done! It is  
surprising how a little extra training can do to improve your skills. Now Kai will have no excuse to call me a wimp  
any longer. Hah, take that you trainer-from-hell!

* * *

_ Day Ï Month f Year  
_

Training has been getting easier as we progress. I think I am getting into the swing of things - furthermore, there  
is nothing else better to do than train. This really is a boring little village.

I had heard from some of the guards that the marketplace in town had quite a few gift stores and bookstores. I  
should like to visit those one day. Perhaps Kai might feel generous enough after I complete this mission he was  
talking about? I wonder what it is this time…

* * *

TBC.

**  
Claimer: Chika the stuffed bunny**

Dear Readers, please announce your presence in a louder manner than the hit count. Thank you for reading  
Schwarze Unterwelt.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: In view of the lack of updates for so long, this very nice me shall grant you  
all with an extremely long chapter (in my standards, at least). So read up, and  
enjoy.

To StZen, Neko-Jenn, Thegoldenlock, fatcat and qn, thanks for your reviews. And  
to answer the question, the day month year thing is on purpose.

**Schwarze Unterwelt - Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: Not ours.**

* * *

"Stop that."

Ray lifted his head, golden orbs blinking owlishly at Kai. The other boy looked  
close to screaming in frustration, despite the icy façade he always seemed to  
keep up when around people. Living with him for the past month had taught him  
to read the subtle flicker in those normally passive orbs.

"You are always writing," Kai gestured at the small black book sitting in Ray's  
hands, "in that. It is foolish to - "

"Write down information as anyone can view them," Ray interrupted, "I know,  
you have mentioned that more times than I can count."

Kai chose to remain silent, although the slight narrow of the corner of his eyes  
was enough to show he was growing annoyed at his stubbornness. Ray sighed,  
the breath shifting his already messy bangs. Tomorrow would bring about his  
very first mission, and he couldn't help but feel vaguely excited and apprehensive  
about what is to come. With the track record Kai was building up, he wasn't sure  
he should be relieved any time before the mission ended and he was back within  
these four walls.

Writing were his only means of keeping himself together, otherwise he would be  
clambering all over the sparse furniture and chattering a mile an hour -  
something he highly doubt Kai would be appreciative of. Although he had to  
agree that writing down details of his next mission wasn't possibly the smartest  
thing to do - something that Kai had not ceased harping about since he found  
out his… _literary_ habits.

With a last hasty scribble, he shut the book, sliding his quill back into his bag.  
Immediately his hands went to grasp at the small pouch that now hung around  
his neck, the rough material scratching at his palms. It held a single tooth - a  
memento of his first and only triumph against Kai. His gaze slid over to Kai, who  
was in the corner sharpening his blades against a whetstone, finally satisfied  
that Ray had stopped writing in the book.

Somehow, the sound of metal grinding against the whetstone now sounded  
jarring to his ears, holding no more comfort the mundane act had previously. He  
chalked it up to pre-mission jitters. He hadn't behaved very normally ever since  
he had heard about this mission.

"Could you… tell me about the mission again?" Ray voiced, hugging his knees  
towards his chest.

The grinding stopped, much to his relief. After a moment's pause Kai put his  
weaponry away, fiddling with the next set of blades.

"Our objective is to rescue a comrade who is currently held in Eljudnir, the prison,"  
Kai begun, "your task is to cause a distraction while I acquire our target."

Ray nodded emphatically in acknowledgement, reliving his training sessions with  
Kai so as to mentally prepare himself. He would do his best - it didn't sound very  
difficult anyway. There were no killings (he shuddered to think that) or any other  
vile act, just create a diversion. As long as he caught the attention of the guards,  
he would have successfully completed his mission. After all, Kai did not specify  
how he had to go about doing that, did he? Perhaps launching a full-scale  
potato-peel attack would work…?

Now somewhat mentally relieved, he turned to his backpack, clicking the buckle  
shut and started to prepare for bed. Kai watched from the corner of his eyes as  
he picked out another blade to sharpen. He decided it was time to drop the  
bombshell.

"Tala will be accompanying us on this mission to observe you. Do not fail as your  
performance will be reflected on me."

Ray jerked up from his prone position on the ground, eyes wide in horror. That  
red-haired boy with a violent disposition will be accompanying them? Better yet,  
he would be _watching_ him!

"Why?" he managed to croak out still stunned in disbelief.

"The higher-ups are still wary of your presence here," Kai replied shortly, "You  
will need to prove your worth."

As though struck, he groped blindly in his bag for his book, ripping it out and  
started scribbling with new fervor. Kai on the other hand, had a resigned  
expression on his face as the familiar scratch scratching of the quill could be  
heard in the room again.

"Don't worry," he finally said, bringing about a momentary pause in the frantic  
scribbling, "I wouldn't have let you take this mission if I didn't think you were  
ready."

Ray, not knowing if he should feel comforted at those words or not, simply  
continued writing in his book. Breaking someone out of prison indeed! Just who  
were these people that he was dealing with?

It was with much trepidation as he followed Kai and Tala out of the village the  
next night. Never in his life had he ever thought of the possibility of him helping  
someone else to break some unknown person out of a prison. What more,  
Eljudnir had the reputation of being a prison you never got out of! How were they  
intending on breaking whoever it is out of there anyway?

He sure hoped they had a foolproof plan; God knows that with his current state  
of mind, he probably wouldn't be able to tell an apple from an orange.

He reflected upon his arrival some time ago, marveling at how quiet this place  
was, especially in the dead of the night. The forest surrounding them were eerily  
still - he doubted he had seen any animals so far. And it was only now that he  
noticed with much embarrassment just how loudly the twigs crunched under his  
shoes, as compared to the silent footfalls of his two other companions. It did not  
help that Tala was now glaring at him, as though any measure of intense staring  
would help him become quieter.

"Why aren't we moving faster?" his question barreled out his mouth before he  
could stop himself, unable to withstand the heavy silence.

Tala turned and fixed a heavy stare upon him and up front, Kai stiffened.

"Because _you_ are unable to keep silent," Kai bit out harshly, turning to return to  
their path.

Sometimes he wondered upon the intelligence of taking in this bumbling idiot.  
Perhaps the Chief had an inkling he'd be this troublesome and as punishment,  
decided to chuck the responsibility to him. After all, he wasn't sure that the Chief  
had a perfectly normal sense of humor.

Then again, there wasn't much he could accomplish through whining and  
groaning. Aside from that insufferable _writing_ Ray so liked to do. Was he planning  
on becoming a historian in the near future? He couldn't possibly be that dense to  
not know where he was - surely he at least knew the geography of the country?

Behind him, a crash sounded and he had to force himself to keep walking. No  
need for more glaring when Tala was obviously doing a good enough job back  
there.

'On second thought, he probably is that dense,' he groused.

They passed through a clearing, making sure to stick to the sides, keeping  
hidden amongst the shadows. Up ahead, the crashing of waves could be heard -  
they were almost there.

Taking a cursory glance toward the sky, he judged that it was merely in the wee  
hours of the morning - perhaps about four in the morning. The scent of salt was  
already getting stronger.

He wrapped his scarf more tightly around himself, silently hoping that everything  
would proceed as planned. There could not be any hiccups; if anything unexpected  
(like Ray deciding it would be a good time to screw up) happened, heads would  
roll. And he swore he'd haunt him for the rest of his life.

He stuck out a hand, catching Ray before he could fall through the foliage and  
into clear view of the prison wardens ahead. There were no more cover from this  
point forth; it was practically all rock up here. In the moonlight, Ray caught sight  
of two wardens up front, guarding the doors whilst three more were patrolling  
the space between the forest and the entrance.

"We're here. Remember the plan. Now, go," Kai shoved at Ray, pushing him  
toward where Tala was standing, glaring impatiently at him.

'Oh great. Is it the let-Tala-torture-me part already?' Ray inwardly groaned.

Tala set a brutal pace, and Ray grudgingly followed, half-stumbling and  
half-running behind the redhead. They circled the prison through the edge of the  
forest, occasionally having to dive behind random trees when an errant guard  
looked their way.

They slowed as they approached a door, partially hidden by vines and moss  
somewhere at the back of the compound. Ray swallowed as he looked down the  
edge of the cliff, watching the foamy waves slap violently against the walls of  
the cliff. If they fell from here, would their bodies ever be found again? He  
shuddered to think such a though. They moved toward the door and tried the  
handle on the off chance it might have been left open. No such luck.

Whipping out a picklock, Tala threw it back at Ray, motioning toward the door. He  
stared doubtfully at the piece of metal in his hands, and back at the lock. He  
_hated_ lock picking. His lock picking training had not been the best of experiences  
too. Kai had happily locked his belongings away in the night, and threw him the  
cursed lock pick the next morning, telling him that if he wanted to see his diary  
again he just had to get the lock open somehow.

He cursed under his breath, kneeling in front of the door. Why did he have to do  
it? He was sure Tala was a lot more proficient at such criminal acts than he was,  
anyway. Now he was sure Kai was out to torment him, along with Tala.

He slid the metal piece into the keyhole, and started fiddling around with the  
knots and turns inside. After a few more tries, he heard the telltale click of a knot  
and grinned. There it was. Pushing the metal deeper in, he nudged at the knot  
inside and pushed - it clicked, and the door slid open. Standing with a satisfied  
grin, he passed the picklock back to the redhead.

Wordlessly, Tala shoved a round object into his hands, followed by a box of  
matchsticks.

"You know what to do," with that, he moved a few paces away, positioning  
himself as a lookout whilst Ray went on to do whatever it was that he was  
'supposed to do'.

'Why didn't Kai tell me about this?!'

He gaped at the contraption before him in horror - no one said he had to _blow up  
_ something!

"Wait, you mean we're planting a _bomb_?"

"What else did you think we were using? Fireworks?"

"Well… I thought potato-peels…" Ray muttered under his breath, turning his  
gaze back to the explosive in his hands.

"Do you know how to use it, or do we have to sit down for a hands-on tutorial?  
You can be the dummy post," he offered, a malevolent smirk on his face.

Ray shook his head violently, gripping the matchsticks in his hands.

"Well, get moving! What are you waiting for?"

Without a thought, Ray slid past the door, stumbling into the darkness within.  
His mind raced a mile a minute - was he supposed to _bomb_ Eljudnir? But there  
were _people_ in it! They might die in the process, and… how the hell did they  
expect him to set off a bomb without getting blown to teeny pieces anyway!

'I have to find a safe location… somewhere that would draw enough attention  
but not kill anyone in the midst of it…"

He turned the corner, ducking back almost immediately when he saw the  
torch moving down the corridor, coming his way. He stiffened, eyes scanning the  
area hurriedly as he looked for a place to hide.

"Who's there!"

Ray ducked into an indent in the wall, wedging himself into the corner where no  
light would fall. The footsteps of the guard drew closer to his temporary hiding  
place - if he drew the light in his direction, there would be no hiding. Thinking  
quickly, he dug a shuriken from his pack and flung it across the room, in the  
opposite direction of his corridor. The loud clanging noise effectively drew the  
attention of the guard, who hurried toward the other corridor.

The moment the guard had turned, he made a mad dash down the opposite  
corridor, almost forgetting to soften his footfalls. Gasping for air, he turned the  
corner and threw himself at another small alcove. Making sure that there was no  
one about; he moved hurriedly down the corridor and paused outside a door.

Hesitatingly, he placed a hand on the knob and turned, wincing when the door  
creaked noisily as it opened. He slid into the dark space, looking around for any  
possible danger. To his great relief, there was no one in the room; just a table  
in the corner. Deciding this was a good enough place; he stooped down next to  
the table and set the bomb on the ground carefully.

'I suppose… I unwind the fuse here?' he pondered, fingering the piece of rope  
extending from the explosive.

He unwound the rope from around the bomb, securing the knot around the table  
leg. He dug around for the matchsticks, lighting one and froze. The door he had  
came in from creaked open slowly, and a yellow glow filled the room. He shrunk  
back reflexively, eyes wide as the guard turned and stared straight at him.  
Lighting the end of the fuse, he dropped the sizzling piece of material and dug  
out a dagger, running headlong towards the guard.

Slashing at the guard's legs, he flinched back when the reddish liquid splattered  
on his face, momentarily blinding him. Rubbing furiously with his sleeve, he dealt  
a swift blow to his assailant's neck, knocking him out cold. Not daring to give him  
a second look, he dashed down the corridor, skidding past a turn and making his  
way out of the prison. Once outside, he caught sight of Tala fighting a few more  
guards.

"I've done it!" he yelled, catching the attention of the redhead.

Just as he said it, an explosion rocked the ground under them; Ray stumbled  
forward, trying to maintain his ground. Guards were starting to surround them,  
pushing them back against the edge of the cliff.

He stumbled, dropping the box of matches down the side of the cliff. He stared  
as the waves leapt up hungrily and swallowed the box.

"What now?" he asked, gripping his short sword in his hand.

"We fight."

* * *

He watched as guards hurried across the courtyard, dashing towards the source  
of the disturbance. They had taken so long, he had thought that Ray had  
screwed up and got caught already. With some relief, he waited till the last of the  
guards went by, leaving only two sentry guards standing before the doors. And  
even they were distracted, trying to peer across the courtyard to guess at what  
it could be. Fools, the bunch of them.

He leapt from his perch on the tree and immediately made his way across,  
running in a zigzag fashion to avoid being an easy target. He was upon them in  
a flash, knocking out the two stunned guards and leaving them in a heap on the  
ground.

Grabbing the keys from one of their belts, he unlocked the large gates, pushing  
it open and slipped within the mini-hell known as Eljudnir. So what if it was  
known as the prison no one got out of? It would cease being an impenetrable  
fortress this day, and they would regret taking captive one of their own.

He made his way down the dimly lit corridors swiftly, weaving through the  
corridors he had already memorized prior to the mission. For any beginner it  
would probably be mind baffling, but he had already seen worse mazes in his  
life, and some ruddy prison wasn't going to hold him back.

He paused as footsteps reverberated through the corridor, signaling that some  
errant guard was coming his way. Vaulting up the ceiling, he latched onto the  
banister above, waiting for whoever it was to be unlucky enough to cross his  
path.

Soon enough, three guards came hurrying down the corridor, rushing under him  
without even noticing he was there. As soon as they had passed, he sent three  
blades flying, two of which were deflected whilst the other hit its mark.

'Not bad,' he mused, grabbing more throwing knives from his pouch.

"Who's that? Get out here now!"

Wordlessly, he threw himself off the banister, sending more knives flying in the  
direction of the guards as he ran across the side of the wall, swinging himself  
onto another latch. Not giving them rest, he dropped from his position and  
skirted over to the guards, grabbing his blades and running them through from  
behind.

They dropped to the ground, dead, and he flicked his sword, ridding it of the  
blood that stained it. Sliding it back into his pouch, he took off down the corridor,  
making his way to his final destination.

The guards here were not as bad as he had thought them to be - at least they  
had managed to avoid the first barrage of shuriken he had sent their way.  
Nothing Tala couldn't handle, although the number of guards going their way  
might be a slight problem. He just hoped that Tala wouldn't decide that Ray  
wasn't worth saving if he got caught. Chief wouldn't be too happy about that.

The blade tore through another guard, coloring the once pristine silver a deep  
red. With a maniacal gleam, Tala turned toward the guard charging at him from  
behind and let his blade do its magic, leaving yet another bloodied body on the  
ground. By then, the guards had formed a tight ring around him. Noticing a few  
nodding in his direction amongst themselves, he let his smirk widen, leaning  
back and twirling his blade in his hand. If they had thought that charging at him  
together was going to slow him down, they were sorely mistaken.

'This is starting to get boring,' he mused, feinting a charge forward at one guard,  
causing them to step back in horror.

He turned, sensing someone coming up from behind him. He ducked, dodging the  
pike and two swords that swung in his direction. Digging his blade into one leg,  
he elbowed another in the knee, drawing a pained cry as the guard rolled away  
from him. Not giving them the chance to escape, he flipped over them and  
stabbed them in the back with two knives, dropping them to the ground and  
turning to sneer at the remaining guards. In a flash, he was on them, slashing  
and kicking at whatever was in his way.

Meanwhile, Ray was not having the best day of his life. He had been kicked,  
punched, cut and almost stabbed in the past five minutes. He stumbled as  
something hard slammed into the back of his head, narrowly missing the blade  
whistling down toward him. He blinked furiously, willing away the tears that had  
sprung to his eyes, trying to clear the fog in front of him. Gripping his blade, he  
swiped blindly at a guard, only to feel someone clamp down on his wrist, bringing  
it painfully behind his back and forcing him into a kneeling position on the ground.  
The next moment, the cold edge of a blade was pressed against his jugular, but  
he was too disoriented to care.

"Halt! Cease your actions, or fear the consequences!"

Tala paused mid-swing, stepping back and narrowly dodging the blade that flew  
straight at him. He turned, only to see that the idiot he had been sent to watch  
was held in an arm hold, a blade pressed against his throat. He smirked.

"What consequences?"

"Move and I'll kill your comrade!"

Ray froze, suddenly wide-awake. He stared straight at the redhead, willing him  
to rescue him. Tala raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms defiantly.

"You mean that good-for-nothing brat? Oh, go ahead then," he finished, turning  
and stabbing another guard who had snuck up upon him.

He gaped blatantly, not believing his ears. Tala was going to just stand there  
and watch him die? He had thought that if anything went wrong with the mission  
would have certain _implications_ on all of them. And he had thought that him still  
being alive after the mission was part of the 'success factors'. Had he been  
wrong?

"You - you cannot - it's impossible! You would kill your own comrade?"

"Watch me."

With that, he spun around, taking down the rest of the guards behind him,  
disappearing behind the foliage of trees, leaving the rest of them staring at the  
spot the red-head had vacated, wondering just what kind of person would  
desert his comrade.

Their thoughts, however, were interrupted when another guard came crashing  
through the forest, coming to a halt before them.

"Sir! There is an intruder! Cell 503 has been vacated!"

* * *

He raced through the corridors, an unconscious figure strapped to his back. In  
his hands were two blades drenched in blood, dripping down onto the tiles below.  
He was hardly the epitome of clean - his hands were blood-spattered, and the  
same could be said of his clothes and face.

Drawing back suddenly, he let a blade whiz pass him, then leapt into the air,  
hurling two shuriken at his target. Running against the wall, he flipped over his  
opponent and ran him through with his blade, dropping the body quickly and  
taking off down the corridor again. Perhaps that was the flaw of being trained by  
the royal guards. Whilst their skills were something to be reckoned with, their  
attack styles were horribly mundane - they all fought the same way. He had long  
since gotten to their style of fighting, which only made it easier for him to get rid  
of unwanted obstructions.

Seeing the door ahead, he slowed, noticing the familiar redhead standing at the  
edge of the forest. He bit back a breathe of relief, before realizing that Ray was  
missing.

"Tala. Where is Ray?"

"I left the brat. He was stupid enough to get caught; he's an unwanted burden.  
We've got our objective, let's go."

Kai bit out a growl, eyes narrowing at Tala.

"You mean to say you _deserted_ him?"

"He's just extra baggage! It'd be a waste of time -"

He stiffened, turning toward the foliage just as a few guards crashed into the  
courtyard.

"Great, we've got company," Tala muttered, turning back to the horde of guards.

They shoved Ray forward, forcing him onto the ground and pressing the sword  
to his neck.

"Halt, you felon!"

"Why should we?" Tala taunted, spinning the dagger in his hand.

"Put down the prisoner and we shall let you can your friend go free!"

"Or we could kill all of you and still get out of here scot-free," Kai growled, fists  
tightening.

"You're risking the success of this mission for that wimp?! We have to leave now!  
The mission's objective is accomplished!"

"We do not leave one of our own!" Kai returned, glaring at the redhead.

Tala was incredulous. The person he had looked up to was going to risk  
everything they had achieved so far just to save an idiot who couldn't even  
protect himself? Sure, they never left one of their own out to die if they could  
help it, but that imbecile was hardly one of their own! Even with the amount of  
time Kai had wasted on him training him for this mission, he had still managed to  
end up being captured. And it wasn't as though the guards were and extremely  
tricky opponent.

"He's not one of our own! Chief would hardly care if he died in this mission - or did  
you forget our objectives already?!"

"What are you whispering about! Give up the prisoner and we'll return your friend  
to you!" The guards had obviously gotten restless waiting for them.

"Look, Kai, we've got the objective, we should leave now! If he's any good after  
all that training you gave him, he'll be able to get out by himself. Or, we could just  
come back to get him again. Hurry, we must leave!"

Kai glanced between the redhead and Ray, who seemed to be upright only  
because of the blade pressing against his nape. Whilst Tala's words did hold  
truth in them, he could not possibly be expected to leave Ray here with those  
brutes. And even if he did have much training, Ray didn't look like he was in a  
good enough shape to beat the crap out of anyone here. But if they were to  
leave without their objective… who knows what Chief had in store for them?

"Kai!" he broke out of his trend of thoughts, turning to stare at the boy held  
captive, "Just go! Tala is right, if the mission fails, you'd all be in trouble. I'll get  
away some how, and catch up with you."

"You've got some guts to mouth off like this when you're caught, don't you, boy!"  
Ray grunted in pain as one of the guards shoved their feet into his back.

Pushing himself off from the ground, he turned to glare at the guard holding him  
captive.

"Don't you underestimate me," he growled, then turned back to Kai, "Leave now!  
Quick!"

However, the prison warden had seen something he had never thought he  
would. Momentarily shocked, he signaled one of the guards, pointing to their  
hostage.

"Raise his head! Let me see his face!"

Ray struggled against the rough handling of the men, but to no avail. The prison  
warden, however, only confirmed his guess when he saw the familiar face of the  
country's prince.

"Prince Ray!"

Ray fought, twisting his head to bite the hand holding his head up. Letting out a  
pained yell, the guard let go, backing away. He struggled, twisting this way and  
that, trying to get himself out of their grasps. For a moment, he almost  
succeeded.

"Pin him down! We must not let the Prince get away! We must return him to the  
Palace at once!"

"Kai," Tala hissed, nudging the stunned boy, "We must leave now! They're  
distracted, and besides, if it's their _Prince_, I doubt they'd be too harsh on him.  
Come on, let's go!"

Nodding mutely, he turned and fled into the forest closely followed by Tala,  
disappearing behind the line of trees.

* * *

She stood by the window side, staring unseeingly out into the quiet compound  
of her home. Her fingers were clasped tightly around thin material of her  
nightdress, gripping it so tightly her knuckles had turned white.

It had been such a long time since her poor child had gone missing. Kidnapped,  
they say, by some villain. Stolen into the night, and they had nary a clue where  
he could have been. There were talk, oh yes, some of them quite horrifying too.  
Sometimes it was impossible to ignore the chatter of the maids, and there were  
mention of goblins and fairy folk, and worse still, the _Yakuza_. She shuddered to  
think how her son would look like if he did return from the clutches of those  
felons. She had overhead the King, her husband, speaking of some vile acts  
carried out by the Yakuza. How could anyone do such horrifying acts? It was  
simply unthinkable.

A pair of arms snaked around her waist and she turned, catching sight of her  
husband. Smiling wanly, she turned her attention back to the moonlit sky.

"You should be resting, it is late, my Queen."

She sighed, shutting her eyes in frustration. Her son was kidnapped - how could  
anyone expect her to rest?

"I am worried for Ray… I simply cannot put my mind to rest!"

"We will find him, dear. I will not let my son be held captive by those villains.  
Please don't worry yourself over such matters, you should take better care of  
your health."

"I do hope so, my lord… if he doesn't come back…" she drifted off, worry creasing  
her brows.

A sharp rap sounded and the couple broke apart, turning toward the door.

"Enter!"

"Your Majesty! We have received news of the Prince!" the messenger barely  
breathed before the King was out the door, with the Queen hot behind his  
heels.

"Come boy, and we'll speak as we move!"

"Yes, your Majesty! The prison guards have found the Prince, they are bringing  
him to the Palace as we speak! They should be here in a moment."

"Send word to the Royal Healer! Tell him to get to the courtyard immediately!"

"Yes sir!"

With that, the messenger left in a hurry, just as the duo hastened down the  
large staircase. The Queen was ecstatic - her son was coming home! She prayed  
he would be all right, and if he wasn't… whoever had captured him would have  
quite a bit to answer for!

* * *

He blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his mind of the constant fog. His head  
throbbed abominably - he was sure that he had a concussion. Ray opened his  
eyes blearily, slowly taking in his surroundings.

The first thing he saw was the luminescent moon, the only source of light in the  
bare night sky. He subconsciously wondered where the stars had gone tonight.  
Then he heard the hoof beats, slapping against the familiar sound of flagstones.  
Surprised, he turned his gaze sideways, taking in the extremely familiar white  
walls and courtyard. Fear and shock gripped him. It was impossible - he was  
back?

'Just how long have I been unconscious?'

The horse came to an abrupt stop and the guard who was carrying him  
dismounted, before carrying him off the horse as gently as he could. Panicking, he  
started to kick about wildly, trying to pry the hands off his arms. He had to get  
away - there was no way he was coming back to this kind of life after he had  
done so much to get out!

"Prince Ray! Please desist to move, you are injured!"

It was true - other than the obvious throbbing at the back of his head, he now  
realized his arms and feet felt like lead, and his left leg felt as though it had  
been sliced open. But he could not stop, not when he still might have the chance  
of getting out, never mind that there was probably more than a dozen soldiers  
staring in his direction now.

"Ray!"

He stiffened as his mother wrapped her arms around his frame, hugging him  
closely to her. She started whispering soothing words in his ears, but nothing  
would stop him. He thrashed about wildly, forcing the guards to have to pin him  
to the ground lest he injure the Queen as well. Eyes flashing, he glared at the  
guards holding him down, fear and panic evident in his eyes.

"Unhand me! I demand that you release me at once!" he snarled, tugging  
incessantly at his arm, trying to free himself.

"Has he been like this throughout the journey here?" the King questioned, a  
frown etched on his brows.

"No, Your Majesty. The Prince has been unconscious for most part of the journey.  
He had only awakened when we arrived."

There was a moment of silence as the King contemplated what to do. Apparently  
what those villains had done to him had left a psychological mark on his son. His  
heart ached for the boy - if only he had increased the security of the Palace!  
Tomorrow, he would have a word with his army. How had the invaders avoided  
detection of his guards?

"My King, what should we do? I cannot bear to see him like this… what did those  
villains do to him?" she exclaimed, wringing her hands together.

"It appears we have no choice but to erase his memories of this distressing time,  
" the King sighed, watching as his son continued to thrash about on the ground.

"Memories! But… but that is -!"

"We have no choice! Do you think I would want this for my heir?" he breathed,  
keeping a rein on his emotions, "This is for his own good. If he cannot recall what  
is upsetting him, he would soon recover. I promise you, my dear, I _will_ get to the  
bottom of this. Whoever it is that did this to our son will pay!"

The Queen turned back to her son, who was still trying to get away without  
much success. She knew that the Priestess' powers would be able to bring her  
son back. But at what cost? They had only ever used _those_ powers on their  
enemies, and she had once witnessed the aftermath. To say it wasn't the best  
scenario would be putting it lightly. And to use it on her son -! However, she  
knew the King's words held truth in them. And for the sake of her son's sanity,  
she would do anything, absolutely anything.

Breathing in deeply, she nodded in agreement to the King's suggestion, hoping  
this was not a wrong decision.

"Where is the Priestess Judy?" the King demanded, and amongst the throng of  
guards gathered a woman dressed in robes stepped forth.

"Here, Your Majesty."

"Please use your powers to save the Prince, Priestess."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

Moving to kneel beside Ray, she waved off the guards surrounding them and  
helped Ray into a sitting position.

"This will not hurt, Prince."

She grasped his chin lightly between her fingers, lifting his head to stare straight  
into his eyes. Ray stared back in slight awe, watching as the Priestess' eyes  
glowed an ethereal blue until it became too painful to look. She passed a hand  
over his eyes and he shuddered, before falling back limply onto the ground.

"It is done, Your Majesty," with that, the Priestess bowed and retreated back  
amongst the guards.

"Come, my Queen, we must let the Healer look at him," the King gently pulled his  
wife away from the scene, not bearing to take a second glance at the limp body  
laying on the ground.

That night, he swore to himself the Yakuza would pay. It had only taken him one  
look at the boy's uniform to tell that it was the Yakuza's standard issue. The  
black ninja uniform, along with the telltale red insignia on the left sleeve in the  
shape of a scythe. Even a hardened man like him shuddered to think what his  
son had been through. The Yakuza would pay, and he would not stop till every  
last one of them was down.

* * *

 _Day ____ Month ____ Year_

There have been strange occurrences happening around me recently. First, I  
wake to find myself in bed with a horrid headache, and various bruises on my  
arms and legs. Even though Father had mentioned me being injured in a  
sparring match, I have absolutely no recollection of any such incident.

Furthermore, a great number of my possessions seemed to have vanished into  
thin air. And whilst I do not know, nor am I curious to know, why anyone would  
wish to steal my undergarments (perhaps a maid has a fetish? I should speak to  
the Housekeeper then…), nothing will be able to stop me from wreaking  
vengeance upon the evil person who has stolen my previous journal and Chika!

My strongest suspect is Mother - it is just like her to want to pry into my affairs.  
And to add to that, she has been behaving quite abnormally around me, and  
when I say _abnormal_, I'm referring to the excess amount of coddling and  
cuddling I've been receiving for the past three days. I feel like a three year old  
all over again.

Perhaps it is not wise to be keeping a journal after all. This recent turn of events,  
no matter how peculiar, should be watched carefully. After all, I seem to vaguely  
recall someone telling me that it is dangerous to keep a written record of  
information since anyone can view it. I wonder who it was that told me? My  
tutor, perhaps? He definitely looks somber enough to pass comments as such.

On a side note, it seems that I have acquired a small piece of ivory in place of  
my missing items. Not that some random ivory could replace the importance of  
my journal and Chika, but I suppose it would have to do until I discover the  
culprit. The manner in which it was presented to me, however, was certainly  
interesting. I found it around my neck when I had awoken, as though it had  
already been part of my possession for some time. I could not seem to bear to  
dispose of it - I have tried numerous times.

Perhaps I should bring it to a jeweler and have it mounted onto some metal  
piece. Earrings should prove to be an effective scare for Mother and Father.

* * *

TBC.

This was a _hard_ chapter to write… Don't be fooled by the longer-than-usual  
length.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to fatcat, StZen and not the usual baka for reviewing.  
To StZen: Your reviews always boost our egos. XD

To not the usual baka: Maybe...

* * *

**Disclaimer: If Beyblade belonged to us, Kai would look as hot as Kamui from X/1999. But he doesn't,  
so there.**

**Schwarze Unterwelt - Chapter 5**

Spring before summer, day before night. Such passed the seasons, without waiting for anyone as it always  
had, and always would. How many seasons had gone by? He had almost lost count - no, there was much  
to be done. Studies and training had occupied much of his life for the past six years or so, and he had no  
time to dwell on other things, what with the number of parties his mother loved to throw.

What was it with women and parties anyway? You had to plan, and you had to send invitations to people  
you don't like out of plain courtesy, then you have to _see_ them, _talk_ to them, be _pleasant_ with them and  
basically, make them 'happy' when you knew it was a snowball's chance in hell that they would ever be  
appreciative of your 'excellent hosting skills', as Mother loved to put it. But he supposed he saw sense in  
all that political riff-raff now, what with the condition the country was.

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he felt the oncoming headache. Thinking of the declining state  
of the country always gave him a migraine. What used to be a peaceful and stable place for his people  
had now become what one would label an extremely dangerous and unstable country. He had no idea  
what had sparked off the sudden increase in crimes - one could easily find themselves robbed and killed  
on the streets now if they weren't careful. And the worse part was, these people never cared if the victim  
was unarmed, or that they were women or young children. To say the least, the people were becoming  
insecure of their leadership. And something had to be done.

He turned, hearing the doorman rap loudly on the ground and announce the arrival of his Father. He stood,  
bowing slightly as his Father entered the balcony, seating himself across from him.

"Father."

"My apologies for being tardy; there were matters that required my attention before I could take my leave."

"It is not a problem, Father. I had arrived not too long ago too."

There was a brief silence as they waited for the maid to lay the table, stacking it full with tea biscuits and  
other goodies. As she finished filling their cups, she bowed and left, pushing the trolley with her. The door  
closed, and the King turned his attention back to his son.

"As I have mentioned, Ray, there is something of great import we have to discuss."

Ray leaned forward, worry creasing his brows. What could it be now? Another attack on the villagers?  
Recently, the reported crimes were becoming more worrisome. Some villagers had their houses razed to  
the ground in the past weeks, and he was afraid that the crimes might progress beyond that.

The King studied his son carefully, watching the various emotions flit across his eyes only to be clamped  
down firmly. He knew Ray would make a good King in the future - he had trained him well. Perhaps he had  
worried too much over the news he had to break to his son; perhaps the idea would be accepted, even.

"It is a matter of your betrothal, Ray. I have approached our neighbors in the South with a proposition,  
and they have replied their agreement just two days past."

He slid the letter across the table to his son and leant back into his chair, taking a sip from the cup.

Ray picked up the letter and stared at it in astonishment - a _betrothal_! Whilst he knew he was of age (and  
had been for quite some time already), he had not thought that this would happen, and at this speed!  
Hastily opening the letter, his eyes scanned the contents of it and felt a mild twinge of disappointment.

_**It is with great pleasure that we inform you of our acceptance of your offer. **_

_**We will grant the young Prince our daughter's hand in marriage, subsequently providing your  
country with any necessary form of protection and security to the people. However, we have only  
a small request to add - should the Prince pass on after he takes the throne, and there is no  
available heir, the Princess shall be allowed to take rule of the country.**_

_**We look forward to this collaboration, and shall visit your country in a fortnight's time.**_

Laying the letter down, he ran his hand tiredly over his face. Had he been degraded to something merely  
of transactional value? Was there really no other way, other than to barter himself to another country?  
And he definitely did not miss the meaning of that last 'request', as they had so eloquently put it. Should  
he die, or get assassinated, the kingdom shall fall into that girl's hands. Was there really nothing more to  
them other than expanding their territories?

"There is no other way, Ray. I have tried to find all other means possible, but I am afraid that these times  
call for desperate measures. Their kingdom is relatively stable, and they have quite the military force. If we  
take up this proposition, there is much to gain from it."

"But Father, don't you think this is a tad too risky? We could lose the kingdom overnight - all she has to  
do is kill me in my sleep!"

"There shall be proper security in place, and I highly doubt you need to worry about that," the King  
chuckled lightly.

"Why not?"

"The Princess has been quite… smitten with you, ever since the last party your Mother held."

He stared at his Father for a moment, before shifting his gaze uncomfortably back to the letter. His Father  
was right, there was much to gain from this… _trade_. But they had almost as much to lose, too. But he knew  
that this situation could not go on, it was only a matter of time before the villagers went and sought help  
from the neighboring countries. And that would prove to be much more troublesome than he would like.  
Besides, a betrothal might just be the thing to take their minds off the rampant crimes and violence around  
them. His marriage to a princess of another kingdom might be their only saving grace. Not that he had to  
like it, though.

"Whilst I do understand the necessity," Ray said in a strained tone of voice, "I wish you had thought to  
discuss this matter before betrothing me to a girl I have never met."

The King sighed, "Even if I had consulted you, the decision would still remain unchanged," he paused  
studying his son, "Things will work out for the best, my son," the King offered what comfort he could  
give, "Your Mother and I had never met before we were married either."

Yes, indeed it seemed that he no longer had a choice in the matter. And begrudging his Father for this  
unwelcome turn in events was not going to do him and the kingdom any good. At his age, he sure hoped  
he would be able to take a wiser and more mature take on such unexpected circumstances. He could not  
be behaving like a fool now, not when the country's livelihood more than likely weighed on his decision.

"I will do my best to get along with the princess, and align ourselves with her country, Father. Worry not,"  
Ray reassured.

Now all he could do was hope that this princess was someone he could come to like - after all, his parents  
did not turn out all that bad, did they?

* * *

The sun beat down mercilessly on them, seeming to enjoy adding to their misery. What with the layers  
and layers of clothing and armory, he wondered how these people could actually withstand the heat and  
_train_. Indeed, the Royal Army was not to be trifled with.

It had not been too long since he had been recommended to his post, and to say the least, he was  
enjoying himself immensely. Being a Captain of the Royal Army gave him quite a few incentives, amongst  
which included a better bathhouse, better live-in facilities, and the best part of it all, much better food.

'Food, oh glorious food!'

Thinking about food almost made him feel better about the insufferable heat. He could almost hear the  
lunch bell now, and his stomach rumbled in response to his thoughts. Reaching into his pouch, he drew  
out a loaf of bread and chomped down with relish.

Meanwhile, across the courtyard, Kai was brutally mutilating the dummy before him. Slash, stab, slash,  
strike. The movements had been drilled into him for the past six years - it had almost become mechanical.  
He knew he'd definitely be able to do it in his sleep, with little to no effort.

'This is turning out to be a complete waste of time,' he groused as the wooden practice sword made yet  
another satisfactory slap against the dummy.

The only reason he had joined the Royal Army - even forced himself to stay for this long - it was all for a  
chance to meet Ray again, no matter how slim that chance might be. And look at how he was rotting here  
now! It was so ridiculous it was laughable. He now understood why the Royal guards were no good  
whatsoever. They had a _routine_ drilled into them from day one, and had only practices said routine over  
and over again. And since everyone had that routine as the basis of their sword work, it was no wonder  
that they were all so predictable and lousy.

He breathed a sigh, standing back and wiping the back of his hand across his sweaty forehead. He was  
barely panting - such exercise could barely be considered strenuous. Perhaps that was why it was such a  
nightmare when he had to train Ray back then.

The only thing he had to look forward to was the sparring match they held every fortnight. No matter how  
little of a challenge the guards posed themselves as, it always felt good beating someone to a bloody  
pulp. Too bad he couldn't unleash his full capacity upon them, for fear of being discovered. He had to keep  
his role as minimal as possible, although how that could help him get closer to Ray, he had no idea. At  
least their new Captain, Tyson something-or-other was not good enough to be able to see through his  
pretenses - it had taken quite some effort to mask his true abilities with the retired Captain. Absently, he  
wondered how that Captain had come to have such an imbecile as a grandson.

As though in response to his mental jab, he saw their new Captain start towards him, apparently satisfied  
with the response from the soldier he was surveying. He immediately turned back to the dummy and  
started practicing again, hoping against hope that perhaps if he ignored him, the Captain would just go  
away…

"So, soldier," the Captain said between mouthfuls of bread he had indubitably filched from the kitchens,  
"How's training coming along today?"

"… Well," Kai replied in monotone.

'Ignore him,' he chanted mentally to himself, 'if he doesn't get an encouraging enough answer he might  
go away… although I highly doubt it.'

"Lighten up, soldier!" the captain clapped Kai on the shoulder.

Kai fisted his hands tightly around the practice sword and swung, letting it slam against the dummy loudly.  
It was the only thing he could do to resist braining the idiotic Captain with his weapon. And he highly  
doubted that he would be rewarded for it, no matter how much of an idiot the Captain was.

Tyson tried his best not to flinch from the sound of the impact, watching sullenly as Kai continued to  
mutilate the dummy as best as he could. He had been intrigued with this young man when he first saw  
him - his composure and lack of reaction had seemed weird and mysterious. He never hung around the  
other soldiers much, only agreeing to talk to a select few, and most conversations did not last for more  
than a few minutes. But the soldier's attitude toward himself was indeed shocking - he was  
condescendingly polite on good days, otherwise he mostly ignored everyone else. It sometimes irked him  
to no end, how the soldier would seem so unflappable by the events around him.

"If you continue to show such an unsavory disposition, I'll just have to put you on cleaning duty."

With that, the Captain turned away from him, walking towards the cafeteria just as the lunch bell rang.  
Kai glared at him from under his bangs. Did the man have an alarm installed in him or something? And to  
threaten him with _cleaning duty_!

One day, Kai vowed, he would make that fool of a Captain rue the day he had pissed him off.

* * *

He pushed the doors to the gardens open slowly, taking a deep breath and letting it whoosh out of him.  
He loved the gardens - it was probably his favorite place other than his room in this entire maze of  
marble called his home.

His conversation with his Mother still rang in his head. He hadn't needed the extra drilling and reminders  
of his upcoming marriage; he already wasn't looking forward to it. What with the princess' arrival in a few  
days, he felt he could do with the extra bit of peace before his life was turned upside down and thrown  
into a whirlwind of activities.

As such, he had somehow managed to excuse himself from lessons today, and then extricate himself from  
his Mother's 'evil claws' before he made a beeline for the gardens, his sole sanctuary.

Sighing, he shut the door tightly behind him, so that he would hear if anyone intruded on his rest, and then  
proceeded through the gardens. He supposed the reason he loved the gardens so much was largely  
because this had been where the best times of his childhood had been.

His Mother and himself had practically built the gardens by themselves; they nurtured it, added the new  
plants, and even experimented on new species. They had a garden of blue roses at the back - just a  
small section of them. It was their prized possession, something that had taken them years to grow.

He easily scaled the large elm tree that stood in the middle of the garden, overseeing most of the garden.  
To him, this place probably represented the portion of his life where he was truly happy, the part where  
politics and kingship had not been drilled into his mind that strongly yet. They used to be so happy, to be  
satisfied to spend just a simple afternoon in the gardens. Him and his Mother would be getting  
themselves all tired and grubby with mud (although he was certain the grubby part only applied to himself),  
but they'd be happy. And Father would be at the swings, reading a book and smiling at their antics.  
Briefly, he wondered where all that had gone. Now, all they really talked about was their political ties with  
the neighboring countries (with Father) and politically arrange marriages (with Mother). Was that all they  
could talk about now?

Sighing, he settled back onto the wide bough, letting his eyes slide shut as he attempted to catch a bit of  
a shut-eye. It had only been mere moments before he heard the distinctive creak of the door opening,  
followed by the crunching of leaves under someone's foot. Opening his eyes a crack, he groaned inwardly  
as he saw Max making his way to him.

"How do you always manage to find me?" he greeted as Max came within speaking distance of the tree.

"Because you always come here, Prince Ray," Max laughed, grinning at him from below.

Ray sighed - it seemed that his hopes of catching a short catnap had just gone up in a smoke.

"What is it?" he asked, leaping from his perch and landing quietly on the ground below, "And I do  
remember telling you to just call me Ray, Max. Surely we're past all that pleasantries? Or shall I start  
talking about the weather?"

Max threw his head back and laughed, his voice filling the garden and seemed to ring about him. Max was  
probably the only person he could call a friend in the palace. They had knew each other since they were  
young, what with him being the son of the Priestess after all. Although, it seemed his efforts to coax him  
out of using formalities when they were alone had all but succeeded.

"Nothing much, really," Max smiled, hands behind his head, "just wanted to find out what you thought of  
your upcoming engagement."

Ray twitched, staring at his friend blatantly. Et tu, Max? He already had enough of that drivel from his  
Mother, and to think his _friend_ would be giving him an reenactment. Perhaps he should have just feigned  
sleep after all.

Max only chuckled, seeing his expression of disbelief. Remembering the reason he had sought out Ray,  
he quickly sobered.

"Actually," he paused, studying Ray carefully, "I have been thinking… you might want to consider  
increasing your personal security for the upcoming festivities."

Ray frowned, contemplating his words.

"Is this one of the Priestess' premonitions?"

"Nope," Max shook his head, "It's my own. Mom is still busy choosing an auspicious date for your  
engagement."

He shifted slightly, reminded of the engagement again. Truthfully, the letter of correspondence his Father  
had let him see had been troubling him. They were practically risking the entire kingdom, for this marriage,  
just to save the kingdom itself. He couldn't even be sure that the princess could rule the country,  
although he surmised that she would likely pass leadership to someone else from her country. But then,  
would they be dedicated enough to his kingdom? Would they care for his people, as much as he and his  
Father did?

Frustrated, he flopped down on the ground, leaning back against the tree. Max settled himself down next  
to him, happy to just sit in silence whilst his friend pondered on the suggestion.

He knew it was definitely a good idea increase security around himself, especially during and after the  
celebrations. At least, right until there was a rightful heir to the country. But who knew if they wouldn't  
kill his son for the throne, anyway? He shuddered to think of that possibility.

"What do you suggest, Max?"

Max turned to him, pursing his lips as he thought.

"Perhaps... A personal guard? And maybe you should increase the security in your wing of the palace…  
although, I'm not fully trained yet, so I have no idea just how accurate this premonition might be."

"I'll definitely think about it," Ray returned, a tight smile on his face.

"That's all I ask for, Ray," Max paused, a cheeky grin tugging on his features, "don't worry about the  
engagement - I'm sure you can sweep any lady off their feet in a jiffy."

Ray groaned, "Not you too…"

* * *

He had been daydreaming right up till the point heard the name 'Ray'. He hardly paid much attention to  
those nonsense 'meetings' they had; it had always been about increasing security because the Queen  
had decided that throwing a party would be a good idea. But this time, it appeared that the meeting was  
a lot more interesting than expected.

He turned his attention back to the conversation at hand, wanting to find out as much as he could  
without seeming too suspicious.

"… the Prince's betrothed will be arriving in two days, and as such, we of the Royal Army are to lend  
strength to the guards and ensure the safety of the royal household, and also that the celebrations  
proceeds smoothly…"

He had tuned out in shock at the mention of a _betrothed_. A betrothed! Ray was getting _married_! To say he  
was annoyed was putting it lightly - he was almost in an apoplectic fit. After all this time of waiting and _  
suffering_ under that idiotic Captain just for that small, almost _microscopic_ chance of meeting Ray, that guy  
was happily doing his own things and getting _engaged_?! And to think of all the trouble he had gone  
through, just to get himself into the Royal Army!

He clenched his fists, feeling like bashing something into bloody pulp. The Captain that was _still talking_  
seemed like a likely candidate. Didn't he ever get tired of hearing his own voice? He glared mutinously at  
the Captain, mentally thinking of the thousand and one creative ways he could mutilate and ultimately  
kill the idiot for simply breathing.

"… in view of the large number of people who will gather to attend the celebrations, his Royal Highness,  
Prince Ray, has decided to accept a bodyguard…"

'More like his Royal Asshole,' Kai commented to himself, feeling the injustice of it all.

But wait - did they mention something about a _bodyguard_? He turned his full attention back to Captain  
Tyson again, curious about this bit of information.

"… trials will be held to select the most qualified person for this position, and he will be installed as the  
Prince's personal guard for an unspecified period of time…"

Kai's eyes gleamed in triumph. The opportunity he had waited so painstakingly for had finally arrived! He  
would get this post, no matter what he had to do.

'Not that there is much to do, these soldiers are practically computerized dummies anyway,' he smirked  
at the prospect of being able to beat everyone to a bloody pulp, not having to hold back much this time.

After all, how difficult could defeating a measly few soldiers be? He had fought and won them before -  
heck, he'd even trained with them before. He knew all their moves, he knew their thinking, and he  
certainly knew they didn't have enough brains to think up something new. Now all that was left to do  
was defeat every single opponent in his way, and the post, as Ray's bodyguard would be up for grabs.  
Nothing had ever been simpler in his life.

Satisfied with his plan, he let his mind drift from whatever nonsense the Captain was spouting now,  
contented to just imagine Ray's shocked face when he first meets his personal guard, only to find that his  
new guard was not that new to him after all. He smirked - perhaps his life as a palace guard had only  
started to get interesting.

* * *

TBC

In contrast to the last chapter, this was _much _easier to write. The odd numbered chapters are always  
easier for us to write though, weirdly.

C&C makes the world go round.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter is dedicated to all our readers who are most probably too pissed off at the long update to read this  
anymore.

**Disclaimer: Not Ours.**

**Schwarze Unterwelt – Chapter 6**

**

* * *

  
**

Kai hid in the shadows, blending in easily with the darkness he had become so accustomed to. Within the room,  
the cluster of soldiers sat at the table, laughing uproariously at some joke that only sounded funny to their alcohol  
-addled minds. He sneered at the lack of self-discipline the bunch displayed.

'Palace guards indeed. It is of no wonder that the King had thought Ray was _captured_ - with the level of  
competency this group shows, anything was believable.'

He had never found the patience to withstand their mindless chatter. Thus, he had built up this blank personality,  
with the added hint of apathy to ward off any idiot who thought he might be _lonely_. He scoffed at the thought. Any  
form of peacefulness he might have was very much appreciated, thank you very much.

His ears perked at the mention of his name, something that never seemed to spur the conversation on amongst  
those goons. His interest perked when he realized they were debating the odds of who would win the tournament  
tomorrow.

"What about that kid with blue hair?"

'Kid, indeed! I probably have much more experience in battle than that brainless captain, and speaking of brains…'

"Nah, it's impossible! He'd probably be the first to fall - have you seen those wimpy arms of his?"

The troop of men broke up in laughter, some slamming fists on the table.

"He looks as though his arms were to break from carrying the practice sword! He won't survive ten minutes on the  
field!"

"Ten! I say, five!"

An evil glint entered his gaze as he eyed his soon-to-be opponents. As much as he was proud of his own skills at  
deceit, having weak and mindless fools insult his capacity to fight was something they would never live down. Not  
without much pain, of course.

He smirked, pushing himself off of the walls as his unknowing prey within started to place bets. Oh yes, there'd be  
pain, lots and lots of it.

* * *

"Your Highness, it is almost time. We should leave soon if we are to arrive at the match on time."

He stood in a fluid motion from the desk, smoothing out his attire as he went. Today was the day they would  
decide on his personal guard. After much contemplation, he had decided to heed Max's warning. After all, what  
harm could being a little extra careful be? At least he'd know that he need not fear for his life in his sleep.

He followed the guard out of his study, hastening toward the courtyard in the middle of the palace. He was looking  
forward to this fight; the list of contenders for the spot as his personal guard had seemed fairly promising. Besides,  
he would never pass up the opportunity to witness a fight, what more a fight between the Palace's personally  
trained guards. What he didn't know, of course, was that much of them were practically the epitome of a wasted  
investment.

Silence met him as he entered the courtyard and seated himself next to his Father. Noticing his arrival, the  
commentator practically bounced onto the dais and started to announce the rules of the competition. Soon enough,  
the fighting started as Ray studied each and every soldier that might become his personal guard.

"Started, have they?" Max questioned from his place beside him.

"Yes," Ray murmured distractedly.

They were silent for a few moments longer, as Ray started to categorize the fighters. Those that had fallen within  
the first five minutes of the fight had been shoved into the 'No Fucking Way' category, whilst most of the rest that  
had started to resort to some form of brute wrestling went to the 'Only If Hell Froze Over' corner. Belatedly, he  
realized that any hope of witnessing an interesting fight would be dashed today.

"So, how is it?" Max asked awhile later, noticing the look of disappointment on Ray's face.

"I must say, this performance is starting to be merely that - a _performance_," he replied, staring uninterestedly at  
the fighting below.

He would be damned if any of these people were to become part of his personal guard. He was more likely to be  
defending _them_ against any attacks than the other way around. However, Max obviously did not think so, as he let  
out a short laugh.

"Surely they are not that bad!"

Ray eyed his long-time friend dubiously, directly implying for him to get his eyes checked. Max only laughed, turning  
his attention back to the arena.

"Alright, if you insist, then point out one decent fighter and I shall reconsider your judgment, flawed as it may be,"  
Ray replied imperiously, crossing his arms.

Max watched the fight a few moments longer, before pointing out a soldier.

"There, that one. Look at him pick off his opponents one by one! That surely must attest to something."

Following his finger, Ray turned to watch as the blue haired soldier toss one of his opponents out of the way,  
almost as if flicking off an annoying bug. He then turned to his next opponent, charging at him from behind and  
almost methodologically executed a perfect dive, coming up behind his opponent and kicking him in the back of his  
knees before slamming a fist into his opponent's neck.

Grudgingly, Ray found he had to reevaluate his previous opinion. The soldier was good, if anything. At least, he  
wasn't simply _brawling_, but was actually properly defending and attacking his opponents. Although, that didn't  
make the triumphant look in Max's eyes any easier to stomach.

Mildly satisfied, Ray settled back into his chair as he continued to watch the fight.

Kai, on the other hand, was probably having the best time in his life. It was like someone had declared open  
season on those idiots he had been forced to endure for all these years (and in actual fact, they did - the rules only  
said no killing), and he was happy to deliver their 'punishment'.

From what he had heard the previous night, those idiots thought he was an easy prey, and as expected, they had  
all turned on him as soon as the fight started. However, many of them had been very surprised as Kai suddenly  
started to wield his weapon like an extension of his arm, an evident look of sadistic glee on his face. Those that  
were slightly smarter had back away, whilst the other more idiotic ones had eagerly charged into the battle, only  
to find themselves being swatted away in the most painful ways ever.

To the innocent bystander, it might not seem as much, but his studies in the human anatomy and nervous systems  
ensured that wherever he hit, the victim could not only feel the painful jab - most of them would awake later to find  
that they had the most horrid headache of the century, even worse than any hangovers they had ever experienced.  
And it was in happy glee that he executed each perfect strike with practiced ease.

His opponents started to edge away, suddenly wary of their 'prey's' sudden proficiency in fighting. Kai only smirked,  
twirling his weapon teasingly with one hand. The soldiers looked to each other uneasily, before a certain sense of  
self-righteousness seemed to seize the group as a whole.

"Think you're better than us, do you? Think you can best us all just because you defeated a couple of them?" one  
brazen soldier stood forth, making rude motions at Kai.

Slightly amused, he surveyed his surroundings to find that his opponents had gathered around him - which was a  
smart tactical approach, but not one that would work with him.

"You call 15 soldiers a couple? My, I fear to think how many you could put down in ten minutes!" he mocked.

The soldiers glared, and with a combined battle cry, charge towards him as one. A feral grin tore across Kai's  
features as he dropped into a battle stance, whipping out his blade.

'Finally, this might just be enough of a challenge,' he grinned as he backhanded one soldier, 'or not.'

He ducked low, bringing his sword up to clash loudly with another sword that was making its way down toward  
him. Making use of the momentum, he pushed upward, forcing his opponent's hand backward and flipping the  
weapon out of his hands. Glancing a quick blow to the temple, he side-stepped an oncoming swipe and turned,  
jabbing the end of his sword into the offender's neck.

Leaping mildly into the air, he avoided the two long flat blades that were aiming for him and landed gently on  
aforementioned blades as the two soldiers blinked at his sudden disappearance. Not giving them a moment to  
recover themselves, he extended his arms, catching both of them in a brutal uppercut. Blood sprayed from the  
damaged appendage as both his opponents collapsed, out cold from the jarring impact.

He continued to defeat each and every idiot that thought themselves capable of trouncing him, until he suddenly  
realized that there was no one left standing, other than him. Heaving slightly from the exercise, he turned to face  
the stands as applause broke out. The King was making his way down to the arena, whilst the overly excited  
commentator was blabbering non-stop at the corner.

"Well fought, soldier!"

Kai almost groaned when he heard the overbearing tones of his captain. His brows twitched imperceptibly as he  
turned to survey the man.

"Well fought indeed," the King arrived with Ray not far behind him, nodding to the Captain before turning his  
attention to Kai, "it seems we have found our winner."

Kai knelt, forcing his gaze down to the ground below. He wanted nothing more than to grab Ray and be out of this  
fucking place.

"You have done well, and as such earned your new position as my heir's personal guard. I congratulate you on this  
great honor you have received, and trust that my heir will be safe in your care."

"Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you for the honor of proving myself to the Royal Court. His Highness the Prince Ray  
will be safe in my guard."

"See that he is," the King nodded, before turning and leaving the arena.

Kai watched sullenly as Ray turned from him as well, following after the King's footsteps. Ah well, he would have a  
better chance to reacquaint himself with the Crown Prince again. Hopefully, sometime in the near future.

* * *

Step, step, turn, step, step, stomp. His cloak billowed behind him, swirling back into place with every step he took.  
Beside him, his hands were balled into fists, tension lining his face as he continued to pace the Throne room in  
nervousness.

It had all seem so surreal - the whole deal with the arranged marriage. In fact, he probably had not truly believed  
it right up till this moment. Finally, the princess, his soon-to-be-wife was arriving.

_Wife_. How odd it felt to be thinking of anyone in that way. He could hardly begin to imagine having a relationship  
anything like his parents' with anyone else at this point in time. Not that he was not _interested_ in women - he did  
have some brief affairs with the women of court - but this was on an entirely different level. Those women knew  
clearly not to expect anything of him; they knew better than to go against the wishes of the Royal Family. But this  
princess was here to stay, possibly for good. Hopefully. It wouldn't do his country much good if their new Crown  
Princess was to ditch the Crown Prince. There was enough tension as it is.

He wondered briefly what would happen if the princess decided he wasn't worth her time, after all. Perhaps then  
he wouldn't have to go through with this ordeal, and maybe they would find some other method to save the  
country from its approaching demise? He let his mind wander upon the possibility that they had not yet exhausted  
every single alternative they had to save the country, other than bartering himself off to a neighboring country in  
the hopes that someone else could do the job for them.

How _disgraceful_ it was to have to depend on another country for your survival! They might as well give reign to  
them now, what with the obvious scheming that proposal letter had shown. Ray glared at the pristine marble floor  
beneath his feet and barely withheld against cuffing his shoes against it.

Taking a deep breath, he shook the errant thoughts from his head. No, it would not do to lose his composure now.  
The minute they agreed to this marriage, he had signed his own passport to the arena of political struggles for  
power, and likely much worse was to come. He had to keep his wits about himself, if he was to survive this debacle.  
After all, that's what that new bodyguard was for, wasn't he? All in the hopes of protecting the Crown Prince;  
although he sincerely hoped it wouldn't come down to blows between his future wife and his own personal guard.  
Clearing dead bodies were such a messy business, after all.

Meanwhile, the King watched with quasi-amusement as his heir polished off a corner of the throne room with his  
shoes. His nervousness was to be expected, of course. Under better circumstances, he would never have had  
wanted to force his son's hand on this kind of matter. Relationships were a tricky thing - the female counterpart of  
it usually being the trickiest of all. Female emotions were something he never could understand, nor could he hope  
to comprehend anytime in the near future.

He peered at his wife and Queen from the corner of his eyes discreetly, taking in the slightly worried look she had  
on her face. The Queen did not completely agree with this marriage. Whilst she had been elated enough that her  
son was (finally) getting married, she didn't like the circumstances any better than he did. The Queen turned  
towards him, sensing his pondering gaze. A small mischievous smirk flitted across her features.

"I wonder.. Were you much like that when you found out about our engagement?" she whispered softly, eyes  
twinkling in laughter.

An almost boyish grin tugged at his features as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Perhaps… but I've always been sure of my ability to charm you off your feet, my Queen," came the haughty reply,  
eliciting a short gasp of laughter from the Queen.

Almost much too soon, the doorman was announcing the arrival of the princess.

"Her Imperial Highness, Princess Maria of Katze!"

Ray froze near to where the King was seated, pulling his 'court' face over his features almost immediately. The  
door slid open smoothly, allowing the princess to enter the throne room. (Ray studied her intently as she glided  
forward in all her pink glory.)

Ray studied her intently as she glided forward into the room her head held high, the way royalty would. She had  
the perfect posture, an almost graceful gait in her walk - her dress swirled prettily around her feet. Everything was  
perfection, as was expected of royalty. And then, he noticed a trait that he would never forget - his future wife had  
_pink_ hair. Not the soft, light shade of pink, but stunning pink. Pink of the most eye-catching kind. How had he  
missed this of her before?!

"Greetings to Your Royal Majesty, and Her Highness," she curtsied, dropping into a deep, respectful bow before  
turning her gaze towards her intended.

"Welcome to our country, Princess of Katze. I do hope you find your accommodations here well-suited to your  
tastes," the King returned, smiling pleasantly, "May I introduce you to our Crown Prince again? This is Prince Ray."

"Prince Ray, it is a pleasure to meet you again," she curtsied again, this time her head slightly raised to study his  
face.

A small, teasing smile tugged at her lips, her eyes almost glinting at the prospect of who she would be married to.  
Ray repressed a shudder at her almost predator-like smile. Could anyone ever feel more dread looking at someone  
_smiling_ at them?

'Calm and collected, _calm and collected!!_' he chanted in his mind, stepping forward to greet the princess.

"The pleasure's all mine, Princess," he bowed, lifting her hand to graze his lips slightly, dropping it as soon as  
decorum deemed right.

The princess giggled demurely, covering her mouth slightly in the manner as expected of well-bred ladies.

"My, I do think I rather enjoy my accommodations already, my King," she trilled, resting her hand innocently against  
his arm.

The King chuckled deeply at the turn of events with the Queen nodding encouragingly in their direction.

"Perhaps I will let Ray show your around our Palace now, if you don't mind?"

"Oh no, I certainly would not want to impose on Prince Ray's busy schedule," she drifted off, chancing a peek at  
Ray from below her long lashes.

Ray felt more than knew that it was all a charade, what with how her hand had curled around his arm possessively.

"No, of course not. I would love to show you around, Princess," he gritted out, sounding much more enthusiastic  
than he felt.

The King shooed them out then, chuckling softly to himself at the terrorized expression his heir shot him as he led  
the princess out. Perhaps this new princess would liven up the atmosphere around the palace with her presence.  
He hoped that the princess' attachment to Ray would save the kingdom and protect his son from coming to any  
harm. Although, Ray was of another mind.

'_Help!!_'

* * *

The sun was beginning to set in the horizon. Finally, the day was reaching its end - it was close to twilight now.  
Sighing softly, Max turned a wistful gaze at the beautiful expanse above him - the sky was a splash of colors at  
this time of the day.

Kicking his feet up from the ground, he swung backward lightly on the swing that sat in the middle of the palace  
gardens. Today proved to be interesting enough - the castle was brimming with excitement over the Crown Prince's  
new bride-to-be, whilst the guards were thrilled at the offer to become the Prince's own personal guard. As much  
as he hoped his premonition never came true, it never hurt to be too prepared. In fact, he wondered if anyone  
could ever be _too prepared_ for anything.

The image of a rather flustered Prince as he showed his future wife around the castle surfaced in his mind. A wide  
grin spread across his features at the recollection. If what he knew of the Prince proved right, he had probably  
ditched the princess in her room as quickly as etiquette allowed. After all, it wouldn't do for the Queen to hear of  
any uncouth behavior from the Prince to his bride-to-be; he doubted the Queen would behave very kindly to Prince  
Ray if that happened.

He pondered if anything would change after the Crown Prince's marriage. Prince Ray would definitely become much  
more occupied with state affairs of course, but he silently hoped that nothing changed between their friendly  
relationship. Much as he wanted to refute his feelings, he saw the young Prince like his best friend - or if he was  
bold enough to admit - like a brother.

It never ceased to amaze him that someone of Royalty would even bother to _look _at someone like him, and be  
willing to spend time with him, talking, _laughing, _outside of matters of the state. Was it even possible that the  
royalty could find him interesting enough to want to spend almost everyday with him? Or perhaps he was being  
too presumptuous to think in that manner. Max shook his head violently. No, he was certainly overstepping his  
boundaries to think in that manner. To have feelings of admiration and respect for the young Prince was a given.  
He should not indulge in feelings as such these.

Standing swiftly, he took down the path towards where his rooms were located, wondering what was for dinner  
tonight. His mother had been so busy trying to figure out what was the most auspicious date for the grand  
wedding, she had forgotten about dinner quite a few times now. He was beginning to get worried, so much so that  
he had never dared to share the vision he had with her.

Picking his way gingerly through the shrubbery, he came to a pause as he noticed a figure standing in the middle  
of a clearing. Said figure had a pigeon perched upon a finger which promptly took flight when it registered another  
human's presence in the clearing. Max stared at this unknown person a while longer, waiting for him to turn  
around and greet him. The stranger plaintively ignored him though, now looking up at the quickly darkening sky.  
Huffing slightly in irritation, he took a few steps into the clearing, snapping the twigs under his feet with a  
satisfactory crunch.

"Hello," Max greeted, slightly miffed at being ignored, "Are you new here? I've never seen you before."

The person finally turned, surveying him for a moment before responding.

"I'm the princess' knight, Bryan," he introduced, his tone bland.

"And I'm Max," he returned cheerfully, "Priest-in-training."

"Hn."

The boy turned his back to him again, staring up at the sky again. Max huffed, wondering if the sky really was so  
much more interesting than himself. Deciding not to let the conversation end like this he took another step closer  
to the stranger, now known as Bryan.

"How do you attract pigeons like that anyway?"

'Did he just eyeball me? He did!' Max decided. Forcing his frustrated sigh down, he was determined to keep talking  
until Bryan grew too irritated to ignore him any longer. Never had he met anyone who ignored other people like  
that! It irked him. Greatly.

Coming to that conclusion, he moved to stand next to him and nattered on about something inconsequential or  
other. He _would_ make him talk. Or at least, spill how he managed to attract the damned bird to stop on his finger.  
Either way, he'd get his way, magical powers or not!

* * *

TBC

AN: And so, we welcome the pink-haired princess to our merry little band of masochistic, gore-loving and homicidal  
freakos who make up our story! _Weeellcoommmee_ *evil laughter*

P.S. Sorry about the super long lack-of-updates-or-news, it had been an incredibly crazy-busy period for both of  
us ie internship and enrollment in a university with the reputation of having one of the highest workload in the  
country. Plus writer's block. It's hardly funny, really.

On towards better news, we have a sidestory planned. It will be up… err… soon! Probably a few days time.  
Seriously, it's half written already.


	7. Interlude: Kai

Thanks to loner7803 for pointing out some parts we haven't been very clear on.

At the beginning of the fic, Ray is about 12 years old, at this point in the story, it IS 6 years later so he is now

around 18.

The person whom was broken out of prison might have already appeared or will appear in later chapters.

Some history about this fic: It was conceptualized in '03 but the original sucked so much that we are REWRITING

it.

To Kitten Koneko: You don't need to worry about Bryan. X3

**Disclaimer: Beyblade does not belong to us. This is a non-profit work of fiction.**

* * *

**Obsessions**

**A Schwarze Unterwelt Sidestory**

The sun had barely begun its ascent when a sharp rap sounded at the door. Kai glanced blearily at the clock on  
the ground beside him - it was barely past three in the morning.

'Ah,' he thought, straightening from his slouched position against the wall, 'finally. They're here.'

Moving with a surety that belied his apprehension for what was to come, he reached for the door and nudged it  
open. Outside, barely visible against the murky darkness of pre-dawn, stood two dark-clad figures.

Both parties studied the other, the silence between them stretching for what seemed like hours. Seeming to reach  
an impasse, one of his guests turned, walking back down the well-worn pathway. The other motioned at him to  
follow before quickly joining his partner. With nary a word, he shut the door behind him and followed after his  
guests.

The village was eerily silent - it was still too early. Most of everyone was asleep, save for a few sentry guards. He  
felt a twinge of jealousy at the brief peace they could find in their sleep. He had barely been able to catch a shut  
eye, despite how horridly boring being under house arrest was.

Alert through sheer will alone, he followed them through the village, entering the forest that surrounded it. He  
knew this would come sooner or later. In fact, it was surprising that the leader had allowed his punishment to be  
delayed this long.

The memory of that fateful mission was still fresh in his mind. He had not expected things to go awry when he had  
suggested for Ray to be on the team, to 'test' him. Everything had gone relatively smoothly, and he had become  
complacent. Then they caught Ray, and everything had gone utterly pear-shaped. How was he to know of Ray's  
true identity? But of course, in the leader's eyes, it was his complacency that had led to his circumstance.

A lone building loomed up ahead in the darkness. The guards at the door moved aside for them to enter and he  
swiftly followed. The door closed behind him with a sort of finality that made him feel like bolting, but he didn't  
have that choice any more.

They moved down the stairs, followed by a series of twists and turns before stopping before a plain wooden door.  
His guides knocked once, and entered, announcing his arrival to the leader inside.

"Come in," the words were more hissed than spoken.

Squaring his shoulders, he stepped past the guides and moved to the center of the large circular room, keeping  
his eyes glued to the ground. He caught a flicker of motion from the corner of the eyes, and heard the guides leave  
the room, closing the door behind him.

"Leader-sama," he murmured, bowing in reverence.

The leader stood and started to move toward him, the rustle of cloth sounding like tearing paper in the silence of  
the room. He barely had time to prepare himself - he only felt the slight movement of wind - before he found  
himself thrown backward, landing on the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Foolish boy!" the leader snarled, "do you even understand the repercussions of harboring the missing prince?!"

He lay unmoving on the ground, watching silently as the leader seethed. He had never seen the leader this angry  
before. He looked as though he could spit fire any moment now.

"The entire aristocracy is howling for our blood!"

And howl they did. The crackdown against the 'villains', as they so loved to term them, started not two days after  
His Royal Highness the Prince Ray was retrieved. He had realized that the royal family wasn't going to  
acknowledge that Ray had run away on his own. He felt his lips twist into a mockery of a smile. The yakuza was  
merely a convenient scapegoat they used to sooth their wounded pride. And what a clever method it was, using  
this excuse to eliminate their long-time enemy. Kai shied away from all thoughts of Ray feigning ignorance of the  
problem he had caused them - caused _him_.

Ray. For some reason, he couldn't forget about the waif of a boy that he had taken under his wing that night. It  
wasn't hard to remember. Not with his stuffed bunny still sitting in what was once Ray's corner of his room, along  
with the oh-so-tempting diary of his. Too many a times he had to force down the compulsion to read the diary -  
after all, what Ray didn't know couldn't hurt him, could it? It wasn't as if he was around to stop him now, and  
besides, he did warn Ray not to pen his thoughts down…

But he couldn't bring himself to flip open the damned book, knowing that Ray would probably be extremely  
incensed if he knew. He couldn't bring himself to do something that would upset that idiot boy, no matter how  
absurd it sounded to himself.

The door swung open behind him suddenly, jerking him from his reverie. He turned toward the door, recognizing  
immediately the familiar red hair and bland features. It was Tala. He watched as the redhead's eyes swept over  
his crumpled posture, twitching slightly when he noticed the black-blue that must be staining his face now. Kai  
recognized the odd look in his eyes. The smug air was gone now, replaced with something akin to discomfort.

"Pack your things."

Kai turned to survey the leader, eyes questioning.

"You are aware of our current situation," the 'which was mostly caused by you' was left unsaid. There was no need,  
for it hung in the air between them like a foul stench.

"We do not have enough resources," came Tala's voice from behind him, "Leader-sama has ordered your exile."

Kai blinked. He had not expected that. Physical punishment and perhaps a few years of crap - he could  
comprehend. But _exiled_? He felt his world grind to a halt as he struggled to understand what was happening.

"I see," his voice was surprisingly even, although his thoughts were whirring noisily in his head.

He realized only a few moments after he said it that what he felt was a complete opposite of what he had said. He  
_didn't _see - couldn't. He felt numb. It wasn't as if he was overtly attached to the village, but it was, and still is, the  
only place he had ever called home. The place that contained his sole blood family, the very same person that was  
throwing him out.

He bowed to the leader and moved mechanically to the door. Tala followed behind him silently, and it wasn't long  
before he found himself back in his room.

Picking up his pack from the ground, he started throwing his stuff in haphazardly, squishing the bunny into the bag  
as he passed Ray's corner. It seemed almost too fast before he was done, staring around at his now empty room.  
Did he really have that few possessions? It was as though he had never really settled in here before. And now  
that it was bereft of any of his belongings, it seemed even lonelier than before. Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he  
turned to Tala, face blank.

"I'm done."

* * *

They trudged along the familiar path in silence; Kai was committing each and every part of the forest to his memory,  
knowing this would be the last time he saw the familiar green. He supposed the news had not really settled into  
him fully, sinking its painful claws into his being. He would be an outcast from hence forth, belonging to no where,  
have no allegiance at all. He supposed the hysteria would come later. It better had, he didn't want anyone to  
witness him breaking down like a bloody _child_.

'Besides, I don't think Tala would survive if I did,' he felt his lips pull back into a self-depreciating sneer at that  
thought.

He paused in his tracks, realizing that Tala had stopped, no longer following him. He turned to face his long-time  
comrade and they stared, the tension thick between them.

"This is where we part."

Kai inclined his head slightly. There was nothing he could say - he was never one for tearful farewells.

"Know that we be enemies the next time we meet," Tala said in a near whisper, face still oddly blank.

Despite the total absence of humor, Kai couldn't help the slight quirk of his lips.

"Then may we never meet again."

It would be difficult to attack a former comrade, much less kill one. They both knew it, and Tala silently agreed with  
the statement. He stared at Kai for a moment longer, as though committing his features to memory before closing his  
eyes in what seemed like defeat. Spinning on the balls of his feet, he moved forward, back to the village.

"Farewell," his voice sounded oddly disjointed as it floated back to Kai, still unmoving where he left him.

It was a moment later before Kai turned too, his feet taking him in the opposite direction.

'Farewell, my friend.'

* * *

Freedom, Kai decided, was a curse in blessing's clothing. Whilst getting booted out of the Yakuza meant he was free  
from taking orders from anyone, it also meant he was thrown into the daily struggle of surviving alone whilst the  
Yakuza and the Royal Army pitted their might against each other in the hopes of eliminating one another. Such were  
the foolishness of humankind. Would they never see that their actions only inflicted more harm onto the common  
folk?

It was only when he was once again thrown back to the wolves (as he liked to think now) that he was reminded of  
how tough life was without anyone providing for him the basic necessities of human life. He now lived amongst the  
people who wanted nothing more than peace in the country, and yet these were the very people who would be  
subjected to the Yakuza's cruelty because of some idiocy committed by the Royal Army.

So far, his only strategy had been to scrooge a living right in the Royal capital itself. It mostly worked after he had  
ripped off the offending Yakuza crest from his shirt sleeve.

Now, having a warm bed was the furthest from his mind. If he even had a shelter over his head and food for the day,  
he was more than satisfied. He usually had to pilfer whatever he could from the marketplace, not that that was  
made any easier by the increased awareness the sellers had. Everyone was on a lookout for Yakuza action.

He hated how he'd been reduced to common stealing - like a common street rat. How had he fallen so far? He had  
caught the mocking glances the other street thugs had given him. How they knew he was exiled was beyond him,  
but it certainly did encourage a lot more sneering from them - although they did keep to themselves, still wary of  
the notion that he could easily kick their asses to hell and back like he did before (he had not been to hesitant to  
show off that 'skill').

He knew he had to be more careful, though. He had heard of what happened to those who were foolish enough to  
get themselves caught. There was a public execution held every time the Royal Army captured someone from the  
Yakuza. Or someone with even the vaguest link to the Yakuza. Kai stayed as far away from the execution grounds  
as possible - no need to make their job any easier than it might be. For one, his former comrades were not going to  
rescue him if he did get into a scuffle. In fact, he was sure they would be more than happy to join the army in  
lynching him however they could.

Rubbing a hand over his face in frustration, his mind drifted back to the boy that now occupied his thoughts more  
than should be healthy. Ray. He wondered what he was doing now, leading the high life that he was born into. How  
could he have been so negligent to not notice that Ray was the Prince? He knew he was of high social standing,  
what with that stiff language and manner he carried himself with. Almost pompous, even. Granted, he didn't see the  
Prince before. But it was still his fault that had gotten his former family into this mess. If only he had properly  
researched who exactly this new runaway was. He had accepted the responsibility of Ray, after all. And how many  
people in the country was called _Ray_, anyway? Surely it should not have been that difficult to guess…

His eyes strayed to the poster on the wall beside him. The Royal Army was recruiting again. He laughed dryly to  
himself at the poster. Of course they would be recruiting. They needed as many hands and legs they could get  
themselves now, with the situation obviously getting out of hand.

He paused at the trend of thought.

'The army,' he pondered silently, staring at the poster with more concentration now.

It could offer him a lot more protection from the Yakuza and the Royal Army. And food. And shelter. After all, the  
safest place to hide is the most dangerous. Glancing down at the requirements, he almost snorted at the  
lack-there-of.

'Well, there certainly wouldn't be much difficulty getting through their _screening_ round,' he mentally mocked.

If these were the requirements to join the ragtag team currently trying to protect the country, he wasn't very much  
surprised at their progress. Although they did seem to be winning the mini-war. Besides, the Army didn't know him  
by face or name. It would be hardly suspicious for a young man his age to suddenly show up for the trials, not when  
there were so many dying out there. Revenge was a petty emotion that would make most people do the most  
irrational things after all. And it'd serve as a good excuse for him.

The best part of all though, was the possible chance of meeting Ray. Ray _was_ the only thing he had left after all. He  
definitely couldn't think of anyone that could possible be willing to take him in, Yakuza or not.

Finally having decided, Kai stalked towards the nearest outpost. He had an army to join.

* * *


	8. Chapter 7

**Schwarze Unterwelt - Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: If Beyblade belonged to us, we wouldn't need to bother about characters getting OOC or  
anything inconsequential like that.**

* * *

The sun was merciless, scorching everything in sight down below. He found himself forced into the shadow  
of the narrow roof, trying to seek some shade in the unbearable weather.

Across the town square, the village children screamed and shrieked; engrossed in a game only they  
understood. Around him merchants bustled, trying to sell their wares despite the horrible condition the  
country was in.

He scoffed at their attempts at business. It wouldn't be long before the merchants started to completely  
avoid this country. The country's stability now was hardly anything to boast about.

Taking a cursory glance around, he shifted, tugging his hat lower over his face. Without looking behind him,  
he reached a hand to his side, barely stopping the blade from acquainting itself with his gut.

"You're late," he murmured, letting the blade disappear from his grasp.

A brief silence followed, before something was pressed into the palm of his hand. Closing his fingers around  
the item, he slid it into his pouch.

A brief silence followed, before he continued, "I've seen your message. Do they suspect anything?"

"No, sir."

"Good. We will commence the operation in a week's time."

"Yes, sir."

"Your mission will not be aborted even with the onset of the plan."

"Understood."

"Good. You're dismissed."

He waited for a moment until his visitor had left, before leaning away from the wall, disappearing into the  
dark alleyway towards his next destination. Preparations could be a pain in the ass.

* * *

Ray sank into his armchair, eyelids sliding shut in exhaustion. Who knew planning a wedding was that  
troublesome? Flowers, invitations, organizing and planning the itinerary, preparing for the arrival of King Lee  
and the worst of all - handling his soon-to-be bride! Why did he have to succumb to every single whim and  
fancy of the princess!

It wasn't that he minded her ceaseless chatter - no, because then he could slip into a sort of semi-  
consciousness, only paying attention enough to nod and smile at the right moments. It was the things she  
held fancy towards - he had never made so many flower garlands in his life! Nor had he ever had to rise hours  
before the sun was up, so that they could make it to the hilltop to watch the sunrise and have breakfast  
there! Almost every single day! If this was what life was like before marriage, he was starting to dread the  
idea of the 'big day', as the Queen so loved to phrase it.

'If I have to see another sunrise, I swear!' he groused.

Sighing, he rubbed his face tiredly. His country could hardly afford putting his interests first. They needed this  
wedding to pull through their crisis. There was no other way around it. He knew it, but the things she made  
him do!

'No, I have to try. This has to work. It all depends on me now! I have to prove to Father that I have what it  
takes to succeed him!'

Having resolved to make the marriage work, his thoughts drifted to his new bodyguard, realizing that he had  
not been properly introduced to him yet. Ringing the bell next to the desk, he waited a moment before a  
maid entered the room.

"I wish to speak to Lord Kai immediately. Please bring him to me now."

"Yes, Your Highness."

'Well, I suppose I'd better get the work done, before it piles up any higher…'

It wasn't long before he found himself engrossed in the document before him.

* * *

The room was silent save for the _scritch-scritch _of the pen and the occasional rustling of papers. On the desk  
sat a sizeable pile of documents, all of them needing either his signature or some form of acknowledgement.  
The work was never-ending.

Running a hand through his hair, Kai made a face at his cluttered desk. The 'done' pile looked pitifully small.  
Had it really been three hours already?

When he volunteered for this position, he had thought it would solely comprise of him following Ray around  
all day. Or at least, most of the day. He had certainly not expected being challenged by this pile of _paperwork_.

If they had needed some secretary, why ever would they want to hold a contest for it? Wouldn't it have been  
more prudent to look for someone with a scholarly background than to ask a guard to sign for security  
purchases? He was confident that less than half the guards (especially _Captain_ Tyson) have enough brains to  
hold intelligent conversation for five minutes.

Eyeing the never-diminishing pile of work, he was of half a mind to throw it all out the window when a knock  
sounded, disrupting his inner musings.

"My Lord."

He twitched a little in surprise at the address. This would take a while getting used to.

"Prince Ray wishes for your presence in his study," the palace maid bowed slightly, gesturing to the door.

"Alright."

Standing, he shuffled the papers into a stack before following the maid out the room. It wasn't long before  
they found themselves at their destination.

"Your Highness, Lord Kai has arrived," the maid announced.

He couldn't keep his foot from tapping the floor as he waited impatiently for a response. Finally, he was going  
to meet Ray! How long had it been since he had last seen him? The memory seemed so far away - he could  
hardly recall.

Upon hearing the answering 'enter', the maid started to push the door open slowly, admitting both of them  
into the room. His first impression was how bright the room was - sunlight filtered in through the floor-to-  
ceiling windows, basking the entire room in light. Books lined the walls in neat rows, though some of them  
seemed to have been haphazardly shoved back into place. Then his gaze landed upon _him_.

His eyes drank in the familiar figure hungrily - how long had it been since he had encountered anyone from  
his childhood? Although that was probably be a good thing, given the circumstances of his leaving.

He waited impatiently for the maid to excuse herself, having done her duty of bringing him to Ray. As the door  
closed behind him, his gaze turned to scrutinize Ray more closely. He had changed much over the time they  
had been apart. He was taller, more well-built than his previous scrawny size, and seemed to have an air  
about him now. More like a prince.

He watched as Ray continued to scribble furiously on the paper he was perusing, waiting for him to look up.  
He could almost imagine the look of shock on his face - no, he could almost _see_ it. Finally, he could return the  
stuffed animal to its rightful owner. Finally, he could get rid of that dratted book, whose contents never ceased  
to tempt his curiosity. They would talk about days past, find out about each other's lives. And he could tell  
Ray he had left the village and -

"Please introduce yourself."

And then, he would introduce himself to the only friend he ever had… wait, what?

"Huh?" was his eloquent reply, his brain not registering the question.

If only Ray would look at him! Then he'd see…

"I will need to know you better if I am to trust you with my life," Ray paused in his work, finally lifting his eyes  
to his new bodyguard, "I apologize for not being able to do this sooner, but my upcoming marriage has been  
taking up much of my time."

'Know me better?' Kai stared at the raven haired boy in disbelief.

"I… don't understand…?"

Ray sighed, muttering something about idiotic soldiers with more brawl than brains.

"An introduction, if you please, sir. Things about your family, for example?"

Silence ensued as Kai made the only connection he could. Ray didn't remember him - couldn't recognize him.  
Had he really changed that much? Was it possible? Or was he just pretending? Did he blame him for  
abandoning him?

"You…don't remember?"

Ray frowned, leaning closer to him over the table. Were the palace's guards really that thick? Why did he  
have to end up with some brainless dune for a guard? Martial capabilities aside, he highly doubted he would  
have much use for yet another mindless follower!

"What you don't seem to remember is your manners, _soldier_. I've had a trying day, now stop wasting my time  
and start telling me about yourself!" he snapped in annoyance.

Kai hastily knelt, both to hide the embarrassing shock on his face and to appease the angered Prince.

"I apologize, milord. This will not happen again."

"Make sure it doesn't. Now, tell me about yourself."

"Yes, Your Highness.."

Forcing his brain to kick into motion, he began making a stilted introduction to the one person he had thought  
would know him best. Never in his life had he ever felt like screaming. How had things turned out this way?  
He kept his eyes glued to the ground, not able to bring himself to look into those cool, unrecognizable eyes.

"So your family was killed by the yakuza?" Ray questioned as Kai ended his brief introduction.

"Yes Your Highness."

A sardonic grin crossed his face - it was almost entirely opposite. It was the actions of the Royal Family that  
pushed Leader's hand to kick him out. And perhaps Ray's lack of action had cause him to - no, he would not  
entertain that idea. It was not possible that Ray would feign ignorance and let his family off the people who  
took him in… would he?

"So, Lord Kai. Pray tell your opinions about this uprising."

Kai paused, momentarily surprised at the question.

"Their actions are… appalling, Your Highness."

"Yes, indeed. We must put a stop to their acts of horror…" Ray paused, a tired sigh slipping through, "I must  
get back to work. You may begin your duty as of this evening. I will be joining my fiancée for a stroll in the  
gardens at dusk. You're dismissed."

Standing, Kai bowed curtly before turning and striding out of the study. He moved mechanically towards his  
own room, thoughts buzzing noisily in his head. Perhaps Ray did blame him for not saving him back at the  
prison. Perhaps that was why he did not try to stop the crack down of the yakuza, and even went to the  
extent of pretending not to know him.

'What acts of horror! If his family had not struck out at us first…'

Flinging his room door open, he strode in and kicked at the sandbag that hung from his ceiling. A dull ache  
rose in his chest as he saw the bunny sitting on his bed. He should have thrown it out the first chance he  
had. What use was it, keeping someone else's stuffed toy when he knew there was hardly any chance of  
returning it? Besides, Ray probably had tons of bunnies wherever it came from!

Grabbing the bunny, he threw it opposite the room, watching in satisfaction as it bounced off the wall and  
landed with a thud on the ground. It wasn't his fault he didn't save Ray! He had assumed that Ray would be  
safe in the Royal Family's hands - they were his parents after all! And he had thought that if the missions  
succeeded at least, he could go out and rescue him again. But he was thrown out, what more could he  
possibly do?

Resisting the urge to scream in frustration, he strode over to where his backpack sat, ripping it open and  
spilling its contents on the floor. Seizing the diary, he flipped it open to a random page, managing only to  
read the first line (the date) before snapping it shut again.

He would not reduce himself to sneaking through the belongings of others. He would make Ray remember  
him - force him to admit that he had not forgotten, that it was all a lie. There was so much evidence around  
him - perhaps he would start with the bunny. And when Ray admitted that he knew him, he would explain  
why he couldn't save him. And then maybe they could leave, run away to some place far. Somewhere  
without fighting or those 'horrors' that Ray mentioned.

But first, he had to make Ray remember. And he would start today, when his duty officially started. He had  
no time to waste.

* * *

He was at the door to the gardens long before the sun began to set. Sure enough, he spotted Ray coming  
down the corridor, a giggly, _pink-haired_ female hanging off his arm. As they neared, he dropped into a bow.

"Good evening, Your Highness, Princess."

"Ah, yes. Princess, let me introduce you to my personal guard, Lord Kai. He has only been instated to this  
position recently. Lord Kai, this is Mariah, the princess of Katze, and my future wife."

"It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess," he bowed again in the direction of the princess.

"Oh, what a fine guard you have, darling. I should introduce my guards to him as well, don't you think?" the  
princess commented, dragging Ray past him toward the gardens.

He followed a distance behind, close enough to hear their conversation but far enough to not seem as  
intrusive.

'After all, she might be a threat, right? Anyone with that amount of pink should not be healthy to hang  
around…'

Mariah continued to chatter incessantly, and Ray found himself slipping into that subconscious part of his  
mind again. She made it too easy, really. Her choice of topics hardly interested him, not that he actually  
expected her to know much about politics or economics. But topics like books would definitely interest him  
more than what ever she was nattering on about now.

'Probably something to do with the color that is in season now… or some other useless gossip.'

"Prince Ray?"

He paused, shaken out of his stupor.

"Yes, princess?"

"Perhaps you would humor my curiosity… what is that on your ear?"

"This?" Ray reached up to finger the curved bone on his ear.

"It's an earring, princess."

"An earring! Why did you want to mar your body like this?! Did the Queen not object?"

Ray chuckled, guiding the both of them toward the shelter ahead.

"No, I wouldn't think so, princess. And you are correct - there was much objections when first I begun  
wearing it."

"I would like to think so!" she gasped, leaning in closer to look at the earring.

Kai took a step forward, a fierce look on his face. That was his tooth! As much as he did not want to  
remember his embarrassing defeat, it could probably now serve as another piece of evidence! And yet, why  
would Ray let the princess touch it? He could never pry it from him ever since Ray got it!

"I'll have to admit - it looks pretty… where did you get it, darling?"

"I have not a clue. I woke up one day with it hanging around my neck, and decided to turn it into this."

Mariah narrowed her eyes at her future husband. Huffing, she crossed her arms, looking away from him.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't wish to, Prince Ray. There is hardly a need for fibbing."

Ray reached toward her, grasping her chin lightly and tilting it to face him.

"I would never lie to you, princess. I truly have no clue where it came from."

Kai was visibly holding himself back at that point, trying not to lunge forward and declare ownership to the  
tooth. Did Ray's pretense have to go that far?

"I'm sorry…" Mariah whispered, gaze lowered to her clasped hands.

"Princess?"

She raised her eyes to meet his, a rueful smile on her features.

"I've always watched you, you know? During all those parties your Mother held… Ever since that day in the  
garden… but you don't remember, do you?"

"What about?"

She sighed, tugging nervously at the hem of her sleeve.

"You don't remember… we were quite young then, I suppose… I was lost in the gardens… you were the one  
who comforted me when I cried," she couldn't help the smile that arose at that memory, "I was thrilled when  
I found out you were to be my betrothed! Perhaps I have overstepped my bounds. I _am_ sorry…"

Ray reached out a hand to clasp hers, calling her attention back to him.

"But I do remember, Princess," he smiled gently, "I'm sorry if I let you think otherwise."

"Ray?"

"It's alright, I understand. I was nervous about this match too, but I think…" he paused, gazing at her  
tenderly, "I think this could work."

"Thank you," she beamed at him.

Ray had never seen a more radiant smile than the one she gifted him. He was sure of that. She looked so _  
happy_, just hearing him say that, he honestly was starting to believe his own words.

Neither of them noticed the sudden disappearance of the new bodyguard.

* * *

Kai stormed across the gardens, hair almost on end in fury. How dare she! Who did she think herself to be,  
trying to claim that kind of relation with Ray? And how dare _he_, after all the rubbish he'd been through just to  
get here? Months of wandering the streets, scrapping for food, fighting for shelter, whilst Ray was happily  
ensconced in his perfect bubble of happiness, planning his marriage to that pink-haired bird!

He would have ripped her apart there and then if Ray had not been that close to her! Childhood memories -  
hah! A believable story, if there were any to begin with!

He stopped abruptly as a new thought hit him. Hadn't Ray said he _remembered_? He could recall whatever it  
was that the pink princess had said. Did he really? Or was it another lie?

He bit back a groan of frustration - his thoughts were just going round and round in his head! It wouldn't be  
long before something gave way up there -

_  
CRACK!_

He whipped around, wary for intruders almost at once. For half a moment, he thought it was only Ray and  
that princess coming through.

'But wait, they were back there, and that sound came from the front…'

He froze as his brain registered the newcomer in the garden. Gray hair, gray eyes - no, it couldn't be!

"You!" he hissed, hands balled at his side.

Bryan paused, seeming to size him up before taking a few more steps forward.

"Kai," he greeted in monotone, "it's been a long time."

"Not long enough, apparently. What are _you _doing here?"

"… like you, I grew tired of the streets. I've been in the Princess' service for three years now."

"Hn, and I suppose Spencer and Ian are 'tired of the streets' as well?" he bit back sarcastically, not relaxing  
his stance one bit.

Bryan stiffened, abruptly casting his gaze away from Kai. That was territory he never wanted to breach. He  
shoved that particular memory to the recesses of his mind, forcing himself to focus on responding.

"That's none of your business."

There was no inflection in his tone, nor any facial expression. He made it sound like he was passing a  
comment on the weather. And he could have been, if Kai had not noticed his stiff posture.

"Hn," was all he could say, before he strode past the unmoving Bryan.

He had enough on his plate already, no need to add another. Nevertheless he couldn't help but puzzle over  
what exactly happened that had landed Bryan in his current position. But they do say, knowledge is a  
dangerous weapon.

* * *

He kicked back from the ground, swinging himself up in a high arc before swinging back the other way. Finally,  
he had some quiet time to himself. There seemed to be no peace ever since the wedding was decided. It  
wouldn't be surprising if his schedule got crazier when the wedding date was selected.

Briefly, he wondered if it usually took this long to decide on a wedding date. It was just a date, was it not?  
And besides, one of the great philosophers mentioned something about a day being as auspicious as you  
deem it to be.

He was still of two minds about the wedding. Whilst having it held earlier would eliminate any chance of  
'accidents' from occurring - either to himself or his bride-to-be, he didn't know if he wanted to be tied to a  
woman this early. A woman he didn't know well, no less.

Granted, the past few days had been better for him, in terms of the almost insane things she made him do.  
He guessed it arose from that day in the garden, when she mentioned something about a childhood memory  
that still eluded him. He had only said he remembered to soothe any of her unwarranted fears away. There  
was no way he could back out of this, come hell or high water. The more recent attacks only assured him of  
that. And if there was any chance placating her would make this work for him easier, he'd do it.

'Well, as long as it's morally just…'

Breathing deeply, he shut his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the wind caressing his face as he pushed himself  
higher. A rustle of feet caught his attention, and he grinned as he realized who had found him yet again.

"Max!" he greeted, elated.

He hadn't seen his friend in some time now. Max beamed up at him, doing somewhat of a half bow so Ray  
wouldn't complain.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it? How're you? And the Priestess?"

"She is well, and so am I. Thank you for your kind concern."

Ray leaped off the swing, landing softly before his friend. He jabbed a finger into his arm, frowning petulantly.

"Of course I would be concerned, you are me friend, are you not?"

"Yes, yes of course, Prince Ray."

He sighed, flopping back on the ground, "I'd never get you to call me by my name, would I?"

"Of course you will, Prince Ray," Max laughed.

"So, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, really. I had been meaning to inquire of your new guard, though."

Ray frowned slightly in remembrance. His first private meeting had been anything but normal. So had the  
guard's attitude towards him too. He hadn't really given it much thought, but now that he did, it seemed as  
thought the guard had expected him to recognize him. How preposterous!

"Is he unsatisfactory?"

"…not really that, he has skill, I have to admit…"

"But?"

"Nothing much, really, just a weird quirk of his that puzzles me."

Sensing Ray's hesitance in divulging the full story, he moved to another topic.

"And how's the wedding plans going?"

Ray's answering groan was answer enough.

* * *

Max trudged through the gardens, making his way toward the exit. Ray had requested to be left alone some  
time after their conversation, and who was he to deny the Royal Heir his wishes?

He turned the corner and paused, staring at the familiar figure ahead. The pigeon that was perched on the  
man's finger took flight, almost as though sensing a new foreign presence.

Max was beginning to get a sense of déjà vu. It seemed that every time he saw Bryan, there was a pigeon  
or some other form of an avian perched on some part of his body. And whenever he arrived, said avian would  
take flight. Was he that repugnant to birds, really?

He took another step forward, purposefully crunching the twigs beneath his feet noisily. Not response. He  
sighed - of course Bryan would ignore him. Whatever made him expect differently?

"My Lord."

Max blinked, surprised. This was new. Grabbing at the chance where his new companion was feeling oddly  
conversant, he questioned,

"Have you finally decided to teach me how to attract birds?"

"…No, my Lord."

He frowned, pursing his lips in annoyance. Bryan turned to him, as though sensing his disappointment.

"If you feed them, I'm sure they will come to you, my Lord."

A surprised look flashed across his face - that was the longest sentence he had ever heard Bryan say! And  
of course, it was about birds. Maybe he has a bird fetish…?

"Really?"

Bryan sighed, turning around and started to walk back into the castle. Why did he even bother with nosy  
idiots anyway?

"Hey! Where are you going?"

He ignored him, closing the garden door behind him. There was no peace in the castle. How did Kai survive  
this long?

'He must be going barmy with frustration…'

* * *

"The prince's new bodyguard, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

He stood a distance away from the other, silently contemplating this piece of news. It didn't disrupt their  
plans, in any matter. Perhaps it was not necessary to take this news into account… who was he kidding?  
There was that 'dangerous variant' that could very well screw up the whole operation, and lose him his head.  
He wasn't about to cut corners where Kai was concerned.

His gaze shifted to where his underling stood, waiting for further instructions. He couldn't help but begrudge  
Kai for showing up now, as a guard no less. The thought that he was still sticking to that weakling that got  
them all into trouble sickened him to the core.

His mind was made up - it was too late to change the plans anyway. Although he had a little more work to  
do, with the unexpected arrival of that miscreant.

Without turning, he made his intentions known, "This changes nothing. We proceed as planned."

"Of course."

With that, his subordinate beat a hasty retreat, vanishing into the shadows surrounding them. He waited a  
moment before leaving too. There was much to do.

* * *

**AN:**

Ah.. yes, we finally updated. Looks like we can only update during the holidays and work through one  
chapter slowly during the term... aren't you people glad it's almost the holidays?

On a sidenote, recently we've been reading a series of rants on fiction in the fantasy genre. It's not about  
fanfiction but it made us realise what wide, gaping plotholes SU has. Hmm...

And lastly, what the hell is Bryan's hair and eye colour!? Choose one and stick with it damnit.


	9. Chapter 8

**Schwarze Unterwelt - Chapter 8**

**Disclaimer: Beyblade does not belong to us. **

**

* * *

  
**

It had been more than a week since the princess of Katze had arrived. Ever since the announcement of the grand  
engagement, she had been poring over her books and charts, and she found herself staring into her scrying bowl  
more often than the mirror.

And if there was one thing she had learnt, it was that scrying bowls would serve well as a mirror any day. Because  
all she got from the reflection was her own face, and she was sick of it. She had tried everything she could the past  
month, but the gods and spirits simply _refuse_ to give her a date. It was just a date. One measly request from this  
insignificant human. Couldn't they just chuck a number at her? Surely the King must be getting impatient!

That was the one thing that worried her most. It never took her this long to find an answer to the future, and yet,  
here she was, stuck at wedding dates. Any moment now, she would be expecting a call from the castle, and  
where would she be then?

The scrying bowl flickered a moment, and she snapped her attention to it, only to find the image of a palace guard  
striding purposefully down the lawn towards her humble abode. She sighed in exasperation. Of course the bowl  
would show her this. But nope, no wedding dates.

Moving toward the door, she stepped outside to welcome the guard as he rounded the little bend ahead.

"Priestess, His Majesty requires your presence in the throne room," he announced with great import.

"Certainly, I shall follow you this moment."

As they trudged upwards toward the castle, she knew she had to have some sort of explanation ready for the  
King. Unwittingly, she found her thoughts meandering toward a particular strain it had been stuck on for the past  
nights. Perhaps, the Prince was not meant to marry the Katze Princess? Maybe they were not meant to be, so she  
could not get any hints as to the wedding date, since it would not occur? But then, there came the question of why  
she even saw the Princess' face when scrying for a match for the young Prince.

'It's no use, I must be missing something here. But first… how should I explain to the King?'

The journey to the throne room seemed shorter than before today. It wasn't long before her entrance was  
announced, and she dropped into a low curtsy before the throne.

"Rise, Priestess."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Keeping her eyes ground to the floor King's robe ended, she waited for the opening question. Surely, today's  
meeting was about the wedding dates that simply refused to surface…

"How are the preparations for a wedding date, Priestess?' the Queen questioned.

"Yes, Your Highness, they are still in the midst of preparations. I will have them as quickly as I can, Your Highness."

"So there is still not set date yet?"

"I'm afraid not, Your Highness. It is all the will of the gods and spirits, Your Highness."

The silence that intruded upon them was stifling. The Priestess tensed in preparation of any sort of response she  
might receive from such a statement.

"Priestess Judy," the King said, tone sharp, "my patience wears thin. It has been too long."

She flinched - never before had the King used such a tone on her. She prided herself on her work, and yet, it was  
true, it _was_ too long. But what else could she do? They Priestesses were at the mercies of the gods and spirits.

"I express my deepest apologies, Your Majesty."

The King sighed, seeming to age ten scores of years with that exhalation.

"I am required to send a reply to the King of Katze by the week's end, Priestess. I trust you well aware what  
consequences failing to do so may incur."

"I understand, Your Majesty…" she paused, wondering if she should share her conjecture, "Perhaps… the Four  
Spirits do not favor this union."

"Then it shall be upon you to persuade them," the King snapped, "I expect to have the date for the wedding by  
mid-week."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With that, she curtsied and left the room hurriedly.

* * *

Max bit into the apple in his hand, savoring the juicy perfection of the little red fruit. How could something so small  
be such a sensory treat?

'Mmm, delicious…' he thought as he continued on his path toward home.

He had just been by the cookhouse, where he collected their daily lunch rations for both himself and his mother. It  
was almost mid-noon, and he surmised his mother should be hungry by now. Scrying the future could be  
surprisingly draining on oneself. He remembered the first time he had tried, he had almost fallen asleep in the  
bowl after a few minutes. It was not only spiritually draining; it was physically and mentally draining too.  
Sometimes he wondered if he really could take over his mother's nature of job in the future. There never seemed  
to be an end to the work of a Priestess (or Priest, in his case). And he could tell the whole wedding ordeal was  
putting a strain on his mother.

Ever since two days ago, she had been working harder than ever, pushing herself almost too much. She almost  
never took breaks anymore, not even for lunch. It was up to him to make her eat, otherwise it might be her falling  
into the bowl next.

Nudging the door to their quarters open with his toe, he slipped in quietly so as to not disturb her work and shut  
the door behind him. Setting the basket of food on the table, he grabbed the ceramic plates on the shelf and  
started laying out lunch to take to his mother. No servants were allowed into their quarters after all.

Tossing the apple core into the trash, he grabbed the plate and made his way to the back of the house, where the  
little room his mother worked in was. Knocking softly, he pushed the door and entered.

"Mother? I have brought lunch for you."

Blinking a few times to adjust his eyes to the dim light, he fumbled his way toward the low table and set the plate  
of food down.

"Mother?" he questioned.

He cast his gaze about the room, still trying to see in the dimness, and gasped. There was the Priestess, laying in  
a heap on the ground next. Around her was a puddle of water, and some distance away lay the bowl itself.  
Rushing over to her, he pulled her to him gently, peering into her face.

"Mother! Mother, are you alright?"

Max shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her from her comatose state. Worry gnawed at him - had she overexerted  
herself to the extent she had burnt out her spiritual core? Pressing a finger to her pulse, he was greatly relieved to  
find she still had pulse. Gathering her into his arms, he stood shakily moved toward her room.

'She needs to rest, she's been working too hard…'

He laid her on the bed, pulling the covers up around her. After watching her for a few moments, he stood, moving  
to clean up the mess in the work room. It wasn't long before he had mopped up the water from the floor. Setting  
the bowl back on its pedestal, he sighed. They'd need to get more water from the spring now.

'Perhaps I should get it for Mother; that should help her a little at least…'

Nodding to himself, he moved to the kitchen to grab the bucket and the collection of herbs they kept for cleansing  
the water. Humming under his breath, he set out eastwards to where the river was. There was a small clearing in  
the middle of the woods where the water collected. He had only been there once before, but he could still  
remember the way.

It wasn't long till he reached the clearing. He set the bucket before him, and the herbs on his right. Picking up a  
few herbs, he ground them in his fist and sprinkled them into the bucket, muttering the cleansing spells as he went.  
A silver hue settled around the bucket, seeming to sink into the wooden structure.

Then, he knelt forward and placed both hands on the water surface, muttering a prayer to the water spirits.  
Taking the remainder of the herbs, he stood, and raising his hands above the water, he scattered them in,  
chanting the spell that his mother had taught him years ago. The water in the clearing glowed bright and started  
to spiral. Slowly, he watched as the water rose from the middle in a long strand. Using his hands, he guided it into  
the bucket before him, and allowed the water to flow in until it was about three-quarters full. Easing the water  
back, he finished the chant and the glow faded. Leaning down, he hefted the bucket of water up and made his  
way back home, careful not to let any of the water slosh out of the bucket.

Halfway to his destination, a shrill whistle sounded and he paused mid-step. Turning, he narrowly ducked a bird  
flying straight at him, almost dropping the bucket on the ground.

"Whoa!"

"I do apologize for the bird," came a familiar voice behind him.

Spinning around, his gaze fell on Bryan, currently playing roost to five birds, whilst a dozen others were hopping  
around his feet, trying to get his attention.

Max was torn between excitement at seeing his friend, and indignation at finding him flocked with birds _again_.  
Perhaps Bryan was a bird before? Deciding he shall forgive him this one time, he grinned, moving over to Bryan in  
a few steps. As usual, the birds immediately took flight upon sensing a new intruder.

"Birds detest me. Great," he sighed, exasperated.

Bryan looked disdainful at the statement and snorted. Really, Max made everything small seem to be so important.  
How could any human let mere _birds_ disrupt their emotional well-being so easily?

"Hey, are you laughing at me?" Max exclaimed in mock anger.

"No," Bryan dead-panned.

"You were! You so were! So what if you get birds to flock you? I hope they excrete in your hair or something…"

Bryan rolled his eyes. He didn't want to get into yet another 'discussion' with Max on how to best attract birds.

'Time for a topic change…'

"So what's that in the bucket? I never knew there was a spring around here."

Momentarily distracted, Max glanced down at the bucket in his hand.

"Oh this? It's holy water, not available to any other common human. It's sacred, in a sense. There is a spring  
around, but that is not knowledge I can divulge!" he grinned, semi-contented to know something Bryan didn't.

'Because his skill with birds were so _not fair_!' Max mentally grouched.

"Really… and what does this holy water have use for?"

"Well.. A few things, really," Max paused, setting the bucket down, "it can be used for healing, or cleansing, but  
we mostly use it for scrying though."

"Scrying? For?"

"For the wedding date, of course. Mother is the Priestess here, and the King has charged her for deriving an  
auspicious date for the wedding."

"Ah yes, that. It has been some time though, is it not?"

Max sighed, "yes, it is taking some time… we depend on various spirits and gods, but we mostly depend on the  
Four Spirits for guidance when we scry. It's the same when we get visions and prophecies… although you probably  
don't understand what I'm saying, right?"

Bryan shook his head slowly, "the Four Spirits?"

"Uh huh. Mother say's I'm most attuned to Draciel… that's one of them. Haven't you heard of it before?"

"Oh. That. Right," shrugging, Bryan turned and started to walk out of the forest.

"Hey!" Grabbing the bucket, Max moved up towards Bryan, "what do you mean by 'right'?" he exclaimed.

"Well... That's just a bunch of religious mumbo-jumbo, right? Every country has that sort of things."

"It's not just 'religious mumbo-jumbo!" Max exclaimed, "the Four Spirits are powerful beings! And they bless us  
through the Four Holy Objects!"

Bryan paused mid-step, turning to face Max.

"Four Holy Objects?"

Max froze - that was classified information. Only those related to priest work and the Royal Family had access to  
that information. Grunting, he strode in the direction of home, attempting to ignore Bryan's question.

"Pretend I didn't say anything."

"I can't do that, not when you've piqued my interest."

"I can't tell you, only the Royal Family knows that. Go ask your Princess if you want to know that much," he  
scowled at his slip of tongue.

Bryan stood silently, watching the boy lug the heavy bucket home. Shrugging, he turned too and headed back.

* * *

The room was silent - the only sound that could be heard was that of clothe against clothe, as the only occupant  
in the room tightened the sash around his waist. Pulling a piece of black cloth from the sack on the ground, he  
folded it across his face and tied a knot, obscuring half his face from view.

His eyes slid shut and he took a deep breath, mentally readying himself for the task at hand. There was no other  
option than success tonight. Patting his pouch to ensure he had everything, he slipped soundlessly from the room  
and moved swiftly down the corridor.

These were the very corridors that servants used in the day. One could easily get lost within these twisting  
corridors, but he had long since familiarized himself with the layout of the place. He soon arrived at a low-ceilinged  
cellar, where two other dark-clad figures were awaiting him.

Nodding, the three moved down the corridor, following the set path out to the gardens where their objective was.  
There was no space for errors or failures. They could only succeed tonight. Or it was death for them.

* * *

It was the morning after the Princess Mariah had been kidnapped and Kai found himself bowed before the King,  
who looked closer to the verge of an apoplectic fit as the seconds ticked. He mentally sighed at the verbal  
thrashing he was sure to receive. Perhaps he would even be stripped of his current privileges. To be truthful, what  
happened to their dear _Princess_ did not bother him one bit, but due to circumstances, she was threatening his  
position as Ray's guard. And that would not do.

"How did that happen?" the King roared, "Explain it to me, right this instant!"

Dropping even lower until he was almost kissing the ground, Kai started his explanation on the events that  
transpired.

"Three persons managed to intrude into the internal gardens, Your Majesty. They took the Princess of Katze by  
force, it was all I could do to restrain Prince Ray from going after her, Your Majesty."

"Three persons. Three persons! How did they manage to get this deep into the castle?! And you! You are  
supposed to be in-charge of security! What were you doing, letting those thugs abduct the Princess! How are we  
supposed to explain it the King Lee?!" he howled in fury.

"My priority is the Prince Ray, Your Majesty."

"Insolence! How dare you rebuff me! Men! Give that soldier a good thrashing!"

Kai froze at the words. A _thrashing_? All this for that pink-haired _harpy_? He jerked into motion as a hand grabbed  
his arm, forcing him flat on the ground. Tripping slightly in surprise, he managed to get his other hand under him  
to support his weight and twisted, angling a kick at his assailant. The soldier grabbed his ankle and twisted  
violently, followed by a sharp _crack_ as leather bit into his arm.

Hissing in pain, he fell to a knee, barely managing to catch his balance before a heel was driven into his back and  
he fell flat on the marble floor. The thick leather came down upon his back, and he bit his lower lip until it bled to  
keep a scream from emerging. A leather boot came down on his left arm, keeping him from jerking as the leather  
slashed a path across this back again. The shirt tore this time, leaving a red mark in its wake. He gritted his teeth,  
refusing to make a sound even as the whip cut his back into ribbons. Even when welts started to form, decorating  
his back in a myriad of reds and dark blue bruises. No, they would not have the satisfaction of hearing his pain.

It seemed to take forever to placate the King's anger. By the time the King had motioned for the guards to stop,  
the wounds on his back were bleeding profusely.

"Stand," the King commanded.

Stiffly, Kai forced his arm under him and hefted himself up to his feet, barely able to keep himself standing. He  
carefully placed his gaze at the edge of the King's robe - no need to anger him anymore today.

"You will tighten the security around the Prince. Do you hear me? No more episodes like today!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With a rustle of robe, the King turned and stepped back onto his dais.

"Get him out of my sight."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guards replied, before physically hauling Kai out of the throne room.

He would let them, just for today. He'd remember their faces. And when the time came, there would be hell to pay.

* * *

Duck. Kick. Twist. Punch. Duck again. Ray fully threw himself into the mundane motions, stances that had been  
drilled into him since young taking over his conscious mind. He could not think - he could not afford to think about  
anything. But try as he might, he couldn't seem to beat out that ghastly scene from his mind. He couldn't put out  
how her arms had stretched toward him, her face twisted in pure terror as those _monsters_ stole her away;  
couldn't stop the sound of her voice screaming for help even as they tried to muffle her.

He growled, twisting mid-step and dropping into a series of punches and kicks against his invisible opponents. In  
his mind's eyes, he was fighting off those _monsters_ that dared take her away. Deep within him a certain hatred  
rose up and consumed his being. If only _he_ had not stopped him! He would have managed to save Mariah! Why  
had his incompetent bodyguard stopped him from going after her? Better yet, why hadn't he gone after her  
himself! And what of Mariah's own bodyguard! He should have known better than to let her send the guards off  
on their own, should have made sure that they were better protected, should have been more aware of his  
surroundings! What irked him was he could have prevented it, and yet, like sitting ducks, did nothing to stop it  
from happening. And no, he was not allowed to leave the palace grounds to go after her, because he might be  
falling into a trap!

'To hell with traps! I failed to protect her - I failed my duty as her future husband!'

Angrily, he snatched his sword from its scabbard and flung it halfway across the room before it clattered to the  
ground harmlessly. He couldn't help but feel useless at being unable to protect her. Mariah was his future wife,  
and yet, this was the best protection he could give her?

"Prince Ray?"

He spun towards the door and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Max, but tensed up again a moment later.

'I didn't even hear him come in. What kind of _Prince_ am I?!'

"I heard about what happened. I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault. I failed in my duty to protect her. I will get her back."

Max sighed, daring to move further into the practice room.

"It's not entirely your fault, my prince. If I had foreseen this…"

"No! It is mine fault. And that bodyguard! If only he did not stop me! I might have… I would have..!"

"Prince Ray, might I remind you that his duty is to protect your life… he merely reacted to the situation in your best  
interests - "

"And I suppose protecting Mariah is not in my best interest? Mariah's livelihood IS my interest! And the country's  
too! And he just let her go with them!"

Max paused, "You love her already… do you not..?"

Ray sighed, grabbing his hair in frustration, "I don't… know, for sure. She _is_ a nice person, of likeable nature…  
Father would only choose the best for me. Perhaps _attached_ is a better word…but… do you have any idea how  
much trouble we would be in?"

Max nodded, "I know. But I'm sure we'll tide over this. The King is making plans for pursuit to retrieve Princess  
Mariah as we speak. It seems he took the punishment of your guard into his own hands, too…"

At that, Ray looked up at Max, "Really? Well… serves him right…"

"I had him brought back to his room, and some herbs to be brought for him. We cannot have him laying injured in  
bed and not protecting you, can we?"

"It matters not to me anymore. I will get Mariah back. I shall speak to Father at the next possible moment," with  
that, Ray walked towards the door, meaning to shower before his meeting, "…thank you, Max."

* * *

_I leant against Ray's shoulder as we stood and gazed at the stars together. It was just so much more romantic without  
the two bodyguards shadowing us like they always do. I'm glad I sent them away. It was a beautiful night out, and I  
knew it would simply be splendid to watch the sky from the garden. I think Ray might be softening up to me, he hardly  
made much objection of my request this night._

_He turned to me and smiled that gentle smile of his, and I thought I could not stand on my own. Surely there could not  
be a woman happier than me this day._

_Suddenly, I could feel a hand gripping my arm, tugging me backwards so hard it hurt. I tried to pull away - Ray tried to  
pull me towards him, but it was impossible, I watched with a kind of subconscious fascination as this dark figure rose  
from behind him and hit Ray on his shoulder. An arm was snaking around my waist now, and I realize too late what was  
happening. The grip was too tight; I knew bruises would form on the morrow where the fingers dug into my side._

_Then the ground was gone beneath my feet as we flew backward, me and my assailant, and I fought, struggled, to get  
out of his grasp. I had to, I didn't want to go with them! Who were these people? What did they want with me? Where  
is that bodyguard of mine… Bryan - where is he?!_

_I have to get to Ray, Ray would protect me. He had to! I struggled forward, pushing my weight against the arm that held  
me captive. His blue-haired bodyguard had come out now (why hadn't mine?)… and was he restraining him? _

"_No!! Ray!!!"_

Mariah jerked away, eyes streaming as she stared blankly around her surroundings. The ground was cold and  
hard under her, and she was barely clothed enough to be protected from the ground, much less the chill. Slowly,  
recognition dawned on her, and she wished she didn't have to remember this place.

A tremor passed through her, only partly due to the cold. Slowly, she pushed herself upright, taking in the scene  
around her. Her attackers had knocked her out sometime along the journey, and she found herself yearning for  
that unconsciousness. Because the minute she had awoken was when their… _fun_ had started.

Trembling, she reached up and fingered the now short and clumpy hairstyle she sported. Around the cell pink hair  
was strewn about. They had cut her hair, torn out some in the process too, but she could hardly remember. That  
hadn't been the worse, only when they had started cutting up her clothes…

She gathered herself and crawled toward the corner of her cell, huddling with her back against the walls. The cell  
was so dirty, it hardly mattered where she put herself anymore. It stank of human waste, and once she had  
accidentally put her hand in _something_ in her frantic attempt to get away from her jailors.

She feared the red haired man. He never did anything to her but always watched what others did. And taunt her.  
Taunt her that her Ray would never come for her. And he never did.

The red haired man entered just then. She shied away from him, using her hands and legs to cover her body. He  
sneered.

"You don't have anything I haven't seen before, princess."

She whimpered and squeezed herself further into the corner. He came and hauled her up by the neck. She  
wheezed, clawing ineffectively at his arms and fought for air.

For a moment, he just gazed at her quickly purpling face and said softly, "If you answer our questions truthfully, I'll  
look into getting some better accommodations for you."

She nodded her head frantically and he released her.

Mariah slumped onto her knees and gulped large breaths of air. Just before he left, the red haired man patted her  
head and said, "Maybe we'll even send you home, if you're a good girl."

Even as she slept that night, Mariah would dream of that pair of hot hands, slowly crushing the life out of her.

* * *

Next update will be a Bryan Sidestory.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated.


	10. Interlude: Bryan

**From A Bird's Eye View**

**A Schwarze Unterwelt Sidestory**

**Disclaimer: Not ours.  


* * *

**

_Birds of a Feather Flock Together_

The first time Bryan met Spencer and Ian, they were trying to steal his dinner. Of course, there was no way he would  
let anyone steal his own food - such was the hard life that they led. In the resulting brawl, Bryan managed to trip  
Spencer such that he fell on Ian. To say the least, this was by far the easiest fight he had had.

Bryan calmly sat upon the bodies of his defeated foes, somewhat glad that at least, they were not very strong this  
time round. The last time he fought for his food he had been rewarded with not just dinner, but also that nasty  
scrape on his arm that took almost forever to heal.

Just as he was about to dig into his meal, he heard two stomachs growl in unison. Glancing downward at the slight  
mountain of skin and bones beneath him, he was faced with two pairs of hungered eyes.

He knew not what force compelled him, but the next moment, he was leaning against the alley wall, chewing on his  
bit of pigeon whilst the other two hungrily devoured the bit of pigeon he had thrown at them. He supposed it was  
fine - he had enough pigeon and besides, they didn't make very comfortable chairs.

Within moments, Spencer and Ian had finished their portion and were staring at the remaining dinner he had.

"You're not getting anymore, if that is what you are thinking," Bryan denied them flatly.

Ian sniffed indignantly, "…it was raw," he complained, "don't expect any thanks from us."

"Shut up and let me finish my food," was Bryan's reply.

Ian huffed, and Spencer only maintained his silence. Bryan ignored them and continued with his dinner - perhaps they  
would leave him alone if he ignored them long enough.

* * *

It had been a while since Bryan met the other two. Despite the numerous attempts to get rid of the two unwanted  
additions, they had somehow evaded all his tactics. Deciding there really was nothing else he could do, he had  
allowed them to tag along, even though that meant there was two extra mouths to feed now.

They were now slinking along the back alleys, intent on finding some way to settle their dinner. The sun would set in  
about two hours, and it usually took about that long to find food. Feeling a tug on his shirt, Bryan paused and turned  
to see where Spencer was pointing to. There was a bakery across the road, and if they were lucky enough, they  
might get to share a loaf for dinner tonight.

Nodding once, he motioned and waited till Ian was close enough before sharing his plan to get dinner. Soon enough  
they were after their objective - it was surprisingly easy to get it with a few well-orchestrated distractions.

As they were making their way back to base, laughing at their success, Bryan then realized that Spencer had never  
said anything since the day he had met him. In fact, he had not made a sound since their initial meeting, completely  
in contrast to Ian, which he felt was just too loud.

Noticing his gaze, Ian smiled and clapped Spencer on his back, "He's never said anything for as long as I knew him."

Spencer shrugged his hand off. Bryan nodded; it was only now that he noticed the faint jagged lines that ran all over  
Spencer's neck. It must have been a miracle the guy survived at all.

"How did you know his name, then?"

Ian laughed, "I didn't, I made it up!"

Bryan made no reply - that was congruent to Ian's loud attitude, after all.

* * *

_A Bird in the Hand is Better than Two in the Bush_

There was a rumor among the other street kids. It spoke of the exile that was apparently responsible for the war  
between the King and the yakuza. How that was possible, Bryan frankly wasn't interested. But his two tag-alongs  
(he refused to think of them as _companions_) obviously had different ideas. Well, the louder one did, rather.

"Come on," Ian whined, "let's go check out that new guy!"

"…" said Spencer, voicelessly.

From his expression, Bryan guessed that he agreed with Ian. Yet again, he internally bemoaned at having to deal  
with his two unwanted flunkies' whim and fancy. Perhaps it was time they learnt that he was not going to give into to  
them every single time.

"Go if you really want to. I'm not playing any part in this," he paused; then added, "Get something off him if you can."

Ian sprung up from his seat on the bins excitedly, motioning for Spencer to follow.

"Yes boss!"

He didn't watch as they disappeared around the corner, scampering off to wherever they thought the newcomer was.  
Figuring he would catch some rest whilst the noisy one was away, he slumped down in the corner and shut his eyes.  
His rest was fitful at best; otherwise he usually was unable to fall asleep. You always had to watch your hide when  
you lived in the squalid conditions he did. However, he did manage to fall asleep for a while, and when he awoke a  
few hours later and realized that neither Ian nor Spencer was around, he set out to look for them.

When Bryan found them later that day, they were lying in a heap at the foot of a rubbish dump. He supposed things  
didn't go very bad - after all, they were still alive, although looking worse for wear.

"What happened?"

Ian groaned and squirmed himself into a sitting position. Spencer was still out cold, sprawled out next to him.

"That guy beat us up pretty badly…" Ian trailed off, gingerly touching his swollen nose, "but we did get something  
from him!"

"Oh?"

"Information!" Ian chirped, seeming to have forgotten his injuries, "He said his name was Kai!"

'Of all the stupid things..!'

Ian didn't have time to react before Bryan's fist connected with his head, sending him into unconsciousness again.

* * *

He had left Ian and Spencer at their hideout, deciding to try and scrounge up some dinner before the sky got dark. It  
was purely by chance that he happened across the same guy that had beaten up his 'followers'. Not wanting to have  
his presence announced to the other guy, he had immediately stepped back into the shadows he had just emerged  
from.

He didn't look like much, Bryan though. Blue hair, red eyes; a dirty little figure munching on a stolen apple. What  
struck him as odd was the pack slung over a shoulder, which he clutched to almost possessively. Perhaps there was  
food in it…?

"I know you're there," Kai said, not even bothering to turn around, "come out."

Bryan remained stationary. He wasn't that obedient. Besides, the surprise factor always weighed more in situations  
like this. He watched as the Kai figure frowned slightly in annoyance, before continuing to eat the apple as though he  
wasn't there. His eyes slid towards the bag again, wondering what exactly was so valuable in it. He would find out,  
for sure.

Mind made up, he shot of out his hiding place and made a beeline towards the pack. His eyes barely managed to  
register movement before he found himself kicked backwards. He flew and crashed into the crates that lay a few feet  
away.

Biting back a groan, he pushed himself up; ignoring the pain that lanced up his back where the wood splinters had  
broke skin.

"You must be the Bryan that the midget was blabbering about," Kai said.

"So what if I am?"

He stiffened as Kai took a step toward him then paused, as though deciding otherwise. He turned, picking up the  
half-eaten apple from where he had dropped it previously.

"Leave me alone."

* * *

_To Kill Two Birds with a Stone_

"Winter is coming," said Ian as he fervently rubbed his palms against his arms.

It was swiftly getting colder, and Bryan feared they might not make it through this winter. Their threadbare clothes  
were barely enough to keep themselves warm in autumn. But there wasn't anything he could do about it, and it  
frustrated him.

"I know that," replied Bryan.

"If you'd let me persuade Kai to stay with us, he might have stolen some stuff for us to tide through the winter," Ian  
muttered.

Spencer exhaled loudly, a vaguely pissed off look on his face. Bryan couldn't agree with him more. He wondered how  
many times Ian had to bring up this argument before he was satisfied. As it was, he had enough on his plate to worry  
about than trying to coalesce with that stubborn newcomer.

"You should know better than to rely on others all the time."

Glaring, Ian aimed a kick at the cobblestone, sending it pelting towards the opposite wall where it smashed to pieces.

"But we haven't seen a single feather in days!," he cried, "how are you going to catch any birds if there are no birds  
around?"

"… I don't know," Bryan admitted.

"Not to mention, with the damn Yakuza running around, it's making it harder for us to steal from the marketplace!" Ian  
ranted, nostrils flaring in exasperation.

"Quiet down. Walls have ears," he paused, then gestured for them to come closer, "besides, I've got an idea."

* * *

Left. Right. Left. Right. That was the only mantra screaming in his head. Blood was pounding on his ears, and he felt  
as if his head would burst. His breath left him in short gasps. A quick look to his companions told him that they were  
no much better off than him, maybe even worse. They ran as though their lives depended on it, and in this situation,  
it certainly did. Behind them, the pattering footsteps of the dogs chasing them only meant that they were in some  
serious trouble this time.

"Run faster!" he yelled back at them, realizing that they were starting to slow down.

"I'm trying to!"

Suddenly there was a loud crash, and both Bryan and Ian turned. The pile of crates and rubbish had fallen over,  
trapping Spencer under it. They watched in horror as the guard dogs sank their teeth into its prone victim.

Bryan bit back a curse. He tossed the dead chicken to Ian before doubling back and kicking the guard dogs to a side,  
successfully distracting them from making a meal out of Spencer. Exploiting the dogs' momentary weakness, he bent  
over and pulled Spencer to his feet.

"Can you run?"

Spencer shook his head, eyes streaming. Bryan fought down the compulsion to wipe his hands, sticky with the red  
liquid escaping from Spencer's wounds.

The dogs were starting to stand, growling angrily as they prowled towards them. Hissing in frustration, he swung  
Spencer on his back, the added weight almost driving him to his knees. With luck, he would be able to drag Spencer  
back to their 'base'. Although judging from the mutinous stares of the dogs before them, it'd probably take a miracle  
for them all to make it back in one piece.

Ian had moved up behind him, and was passing the chicken to Spencer.

"What are you going to do?" Bryan asked.

"I'll handle the dogs," Ian replied with a wry smile, "you just concentrate on getting Spencer back."

"No!" Bryan exclaimed, alarmed, "there's too many, how do you expect to - "

"They're coming!" Ian bit out, eyes wild, "Go! Now!"

Bryan stiffened, then nodded once. Turning, he fled the scene, leaving Ian to handle those monstrous dogs alone.

* * *

By the time Ian got back, Spencer had already bled to death. The ground was soaked in the thick red liquid, and it  
was all he could do to not start scratching at his palms. The walls around their alley were streaked with blood, where  
he had tried in vain to clean off all evidences of his failure. His failure to protect them, to keep Spencer alive. But there  
were more vital things to consider. Like the horrid ruin that was Ian's arm. He fought the bile down - the arm looked  
like it'd been through a blender.

"Stop crying and let me see that wound," Bryan said hoarsely.

Ian held out his injured arm gingerly, burying his head in his remaining arm. His thin shoulders shook from the effort  
to stop crying. There was a ripping sound, and then he felt Bryan doing something to his arm.

"What are you doing?" he cried, jerking his arm back and cradling it gently against his side.

"Don't move, I'm trying to wrap it up!"

"With what?"

Bryan's expression grew pinched; he glanced at the dead Spencer. Ian followed his gaze and saw that Spencer was  
without a shirt now. Next to Bryan were shreds of the very same shirt that Spencer had been wearing.

"No! Not Spencer's -"

"He doesn't need it anymore! You do! Now stop moving and let me wrap that up!"

Sniffling, Ian handed his arm back to Bryan, letting him wrap the arm up with the ruined shirt. It was all he could do to  
keep from screaming at the pain. The coarse material was like salt on wound. Not long after, he had fallen  
unconscious from blood loss and pain.

* * *

Bryan had been able to staunch the bleeding. It had taken all of Spencer's shirt, and some of his pants too, but he  
had managed. The wound was wrapped up, no longer bleeding, but he wasn't able to stop the infection.

He leant back on the wall, watching dazedly as Ian struggled for breath. Ian was delirious with fever now; half the  
time he was calling out for his mother, the other half he called for Spencer. Bryan's name only came up in his rare  
moments of lucidity.

He had buried Spencer's body in the forest, after tugging the chicken free from his stiff hold on it. He had dug the  
grave himself, trying to distract his mind from the thoughts that never seemed to stop. Ian was dying, he knew that  
much. Spencer was already dead. Burying him was the last thing he could think of to do for him.

"You need to eat," his voice came out as a whisper, still staring blankly at Ian.

He took a shuddering breath, ribcage seeming to rattle at the force it took to draw breath. Vaguely, he wondered if  
Ian had always been this skinny.

"Don't waste your food on me," Ian muttered, "I'll be following Spencer soon."

"… don't be so morbid."

Ian paused; there was a moment of silence between the two as they considered their bleak future.

"When I die…" Ian paused, drawing in another shuddering breath, "you can eat me so you don't run out of food."

Bryan hissed in displeasure, "What did I tell you about being morbid?"

Ian chuckled weakly, then closed his eyes. Bryan watched as the rise and fall of his chest slowed , becoming  
shallower with each breath. Then it stilled. And he knew those eyes would never open again.

* * *

Sorry for the delay. We had some… disagreements on the fate of the characters.  
Reviews would be much appreciated.


	11. Chapter 9

**Schwarze Unterwelt - Chapter 9**

**Disclaimer: The portion where the other co-author's responsibilities lie.**

**The other co-author: Beyblade is not ours. But the plot of this story is.  


* * *

**

Mariah sat on the straight-backed wooden chair, her hands clenched tightly on her lap to stop them from shaking. They  
would not be seeing any more fear from her, she promised herself. Even though she knew very well it was a promise she  
had no hopes of keeping.

They had dressed her in a simple cotton dress, and the material chafed against her skin. It was hardly anything she was  
used to, but any scrap of clothing was heaven to her at the moment - anything was better than lying bare in some  
corner… she shuddered at the memory.

The room they had put her up in was little more than four blank slabs of cement around her and the wooden table before  
her. There was a cup of tea before her, which she assumed was for her, but she made no motion to drink from it, not  
knowing if it had been drugged or poisoned. Across from her was the red haired man, who had introduced himself as Tala  
previously. He was draped across an armchair, looking much more at home than she felt in this bare little space.

"This is just a sample of what we can provide you with if you are… cooperative," was his only explanation for her current  
treatment, along with a cruel smirk that didn't serve to convince her any better.

She didn't think there was anything else left for them to threaten her with, short of killing her at least. And that was a  
circumstance she preferred not to think about at all, if she could help it. Maria braved a glance at her captor, and found him  
looking right at her. She squeaked and dropped her glance.

"Now," he began, leaning forward in anticipation "where are the Four Spirits hidden?"

Mariah could feel tear gathering in her eyes again. How was she ever going to respond to a question she knew not what  
the answer was?

* * *

Kai grimaced. His wounds from the King's little demonstration of a royal-level tantrum still stung when he moved. If he  
could, he would not even have gotten out of bed this morning, or at least went about without a shirt. But he didn't think  
Ray's 'sensibilities' could take the affront this morning, not when he was in that foul mood. He certainly did not need more  
gashes to decorate his back.

Beside him, Bryan - and a completely uninjured Bryan, at that - was too kneeling before Ray. Kai itched to put some scrape  
on his fellow soldier, but he didn't think Ray would appreciate a morning dose of violence either, unless it was done to the  
Princess' captors.

It seemed the only sane and rational creature about now was that priest, to which he still had no clue why he would  
receive a pot of salve from. Why would the priest want to help him? Surely there must be some motive. But the fact  
remained that the salve worked. Miraculously.

"So?" Ray's voice was sharp with annoyance as he stared down at the prostrate figures before him.

"For the moment, we are unsure of the Princess' current location, and the identity of her captors," Kai responded, "but the  
kidnappers must have a reason for taking the Princess. We would gain more insight to the matter if we were to await a  
ransom note, Your Highness."

Ray narrowed his eyes in anger, "And you? Are you of a similar opinion?"

"…yes, Your Highness," Bryan replied stiffly.

There was a sharp crack that sounded suspiciously like a pen breaking in two.

"Are you telling me," Ray growled, "that you have done _nothing_ to retrieve her?!"

Kai flinched minutely - this would not be pretty. Max moved forward, resting a hand on Ray's shoulder to stay his anger.

"Please do not jump to conclusions in your haste, Prince," said Max, "I am certain they have already assigned men to the  
search."

"I do not care of such! I want results!," Ray declared, "this has a great potential to escalate into war with Katze, and you  
should know we cannot afford that now!"

"I am aware of the situation, Prince. But it does us no good to be of ill disposition. Let us leave the men to their work so  
they may rescue the Princess post-haste."

Ray sunk back into his seat, eyes closed in annoyance and defeat. Was there really nothing else he could do but worry  
over the state of his country? Max meanwhile turned to the two guards and signaled their departure, both of which were  
much too glad to do so. It was never too safe to be around the Prince nowadays.

* * *

The king sat on his throne, slightly hunched over from the weight of matters at hand. It seemed that bad news were the  
only news to have these days. Will there be no end to the troubles? Was this the end of their reign?

Beside him, his queen looked no much better. She knew her son was distraught about the princess' kidnapping. And to  
have it occur before him! What a terrible turn of events it was! The upcoming nuptials were supposed to be a joyous  
occasion, but if there was no princess, there was not much to be celebrated.

The king was frustrated with the events, she knew. But she understood there was not much that could be done, unless  
the kidnappers contacted them. That, or their soldiers managed to discover their hideouts. They knew, without a doubt,  
that it must have been the yakuza's doing. It was either that or Princess Mariah had far more enemies than they first  
assumed. But who could bear to do such a lovely girl harm?

Perhaps it was pointless to consider these things. Surely it was more prudent to ensure their safety now, and the health  
of her husband. It would not do for a country to lose their king to sickness, as it happened so frequently in their  
neighboring countries. She had to try to put his mind at ease, even if for a moment.

"My King, you should not worry much for the princess, I am certain our men will do their best in retrieving her. Pray take  
care for your health, lest…" she drifted off, not daring to speak such unlucky words.

The king sighed quietly, seeming to sink further into his throne.

"I am afraid we may not be in time… we will need to contact King Li about his sister's disappearance soon, it would not do  
to hide this fact from him. I was hoping to solve matters on our own, but it seems that would be quite impossible now,"  
the king replied, somewhat defeated.

A sharp knock sounded on the door to the Throne Room, and both rulers looked up from their conversation.

"Enter," the king commanded and the door opened, revealing a frantic messenger.

"Your Majesty! I have news, grave news!"

The king leaned forward in his seat, "What is it? Tell me right this instant!"

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty, we have news that King Lee is on his way here! He is moving through the village as we speak! He  
must have entered the grounds not moments before - "

The messenger broke off at the sound of the door behind him opening. King Lee and his court spilled forth from the doors,  
making their way towards the throne room. The king immediately stood and sought to welcome him.

"King Lee! It is such an honor to have you here, if you had only informed your arrival sooner, I would have arranged - "

"Enough!" King Lee thundered, "What is this I hear of my sister's capture! I demand an explanation now!"

There was silence in the throne room as King Lee glared his almost in-law down, fury evident in his posture. King Kon  
seemed to deflate before his anger, lowering himself down on the throne.

"Of course, of course… I had thought to inform you soon, I only hoped…" he sighed, shaking his head tiredly.

"Thought? Were you not going to inform me of my sister's disappearance? Are you not going to explain yourself?" King Lee  
turned sharply to the messenger, fixing a glare on him, "You! Tell me the circumstance if your king won't!"

King Kon rose from his seat and moved toward King Lee, a stern look in his eyes.

"I will not have someone enter my courts unannounced and ordering my servants around! If you will have an explanation,  
you will hear it from me and none other!"

The queen moved to stand beside the king, placing a placating hand on his arm.

"We must not be rash, my King!" she whispered urgently under her breath, eyeing King Lee with a sort of look reserved only  
for a madman.

King Lee breathed, crossing his arms, "Very well. Tell me then, how did my sister come to be kidnapped?"

Just as King Kon was about to begin his explanation, a bloodcurdling scream sounded from the courtyard. They froze  
mid-action, then moved as a group toward the sound of the scream. Already, servants were running toward the throne  
room, but screaming intelligibly and pointing in the direction of the courtyard.

King Lee strode through the double doors of his palace, eyes sweeping the courtyard for anomalies when his gaze fell on a  
particularly gruesome sight. At the edge of his palace, close to the walls, a figure that he guessed was once human was  
dumped unceremoniously there, as though it was thrown over the castle walls without much thought.

He took a few steps forward and had to stop, lest he risked heaving his entire lunch on his lawn. The smell was  
grotesque, like that of rotting flesh that was probably burnt to a certain degree before it expired. He could now see the  
white fabric that looked to be a wedding dress, the only unblemished portion on the motionless figure. A soldier ran up to  
him, clutching a note.

"Your Highness, this was found on the body," he reported, handing over the slightly bloody and sooty note.

Beside him, King Lee was making his way hurriedly toward the body, anxious on realizing its identity. When he finally saw  
the filthy but still recognizable pink hair, he moaned and collapsed next to the body, closing his eyes in distress.

King Kon hurriedly hid the note into his pockets. It would not do well to let King Lee read it; it might well push him over the  
brink of sanity. For the note had only four words and it said 'Congratulations on the Wedding'.

* * *

Max grimaced for the umpteenth time, resisting the urge to wash his hands once again. He did, however, give a small  
concession in the form of wiping them on the sides of his robes. Not that it made much of a difference, really. He had just  
finished helping his mother with preparing the Princess' body for the journey and subsequent burial in Katze.

It was rather horrendous, to say the least. From what his mother told him, and his own observations, the Princess' body  
had been through much… trauma before her apparent death. Torture was apparently the favorite mode of entertainment  
for a guest at the yakuza's hideout. Not that he would be describing any of his findings to Prince Ray. Or King Li, for that  
matter. The past few days had been hell on earth, and he saw no need to worsen matters any more that it already was.  
He wasn't even sure if he'd live to see his next birthday.

Sighing despondently, he shook his head vigorously to rid himself of his morbid thoughts. He still had much to do, like  
wrapping up what was left of the Princess' left arm.

"That dance won't help you attract birds, you know," came a half-hearted quip.

He turned and saw Bryan leaning against the wall behind him, hands relaxed by his sides. There were no birds fluttering  
around him this time.

"What are you doing here?" questioned Max.

The room they were in was in a completely different wing from the one assigned to the Princess, now taking over by King  
Lee. And Max was almost sure Bryan was not granted access to this part of the castle.

"I wanted to see the Princess," said Bryan. He shifted uncomfortably, eyes fixed to the ground, "King Lee is not exactly  
happy with me now," he finished sardonically.

Max winced. Going by what he heard about when King Lee had first arrived, Bryan was making a massive understatement.  
But at least he did not look half as bad as that other bodyguard of Ray's had. He studied Bryan, noticing a scattering of  
bruises on his arms and face. Yes, he certainly fared better than the other bodyguard did.

"You won't want to see her," Max muttered quietly, turning back to the body. It was apparently loud enough for Bryan to  
hear, for he flinched.

"The Princess ordered you away," Max said consolingly as he picked up the gauze, "Once King Lee calms down, he will see  
that it was no fault of yours."

The derisive snort he received in response was enough to make him shut his mouth. Bryan pushed off the wall, turning  
toward the entrance.

"Perhaps if you'd take me to see your Four Spirits, I can beg for their protection against the King's wrath," he bit out, "till  
then, we'll see, won't we?"

With that, he left the room, leaving Max to stare at him from behind. The door swung shut and Max sighed, knowing there  
was nothing he could do. Aside from going back to the Princess' corpse at least.

* * *

King Lee paced the length of the room, leaving a trail of destruction behind him. The quarters that had been his sisters  
looked hardly fit for a princess anymore. Not with bits of glass and furniture strewn haphazardly around the room, at least.  
As he passed the last remaining vase on the mantel, he swung it down and watched in morbid satisfaction as it smashed  
to pieces on the ground. Like his sister. Torn to bits by what seemed to be _dogs_, of all creatures!

He growled as the memory rose unbidden to his mind. He knew the king did not divulge the full truth to him. He knew the  
king was hiding something, but what, he could not fathom. There was no explanation to the wedding dress - he knew it  
was not Mariah's, for it was not to be the wedding date till a few more weeks at least. The idea that King Kon was still  
hiding the truth drove him up the wall. As he stormed past another side table, he flung that too, narrowly missing his  
advisor's head.

"Sire, please pull yourself together," said Kenny. He had taken cover in a corner of the room, hoping that the flying  
projectiles would not be able to harm him, but it seemed his corner would no longer be safe.

"Pull myself together, you say?!" King Lee roared, flinging a handy book at his advisor, "Mariah is dead!"

"Sire, the whole kingdom is in grief over the death of our Princess. Will you let your country fall to despair?"

"Without my sister, I have nothing! What is the point of ruling when you have none by your side to share your victories?!  
Nothing, there is nothing!"

Kenny watched as the king finally sat on the bed, the only piece of furniture that had evaded being thrown only because  
of its sheer size. This country would have made a good ally, if not for the series of events that occurred. It was a pity they  
would lose such an ally, but there were more than one way to profit from an ally's resources than just marriage. But this  
was a matter that had to be handled delicately.

"Sire, I would propose a… means to an end, if you will."

"What do you mean?" King Li questioned tiredly, his anger seeming to have ran its course.

"Revenge, of course."

"What for? Conquering them will not bring my sister back…"

"No sire, but it will appease your anger and by extension, the entire kingdom's as well. We will not be forfeiting what your  
sister has set up for us here."

King Lee sighed, rubbing a hand tiredly over his face, "Do what you will."

"Certainly, Sire. I will make the necessary preparations."

With that, Kenny bowed and retreated from the room, leaving the King to his thoughts.

* * *

**An Extract from the Diary of Prince Ray**

 _Day ____ Month ____ Year_

Of all the incompetent, useless _fools ...  
_

If I see him this instant, I would ....

Mariah was ....

I will destroy her captors if - when ....

Not in the mood right now. Will write again when the country does not have the propensity to break out into war any  
moment.

- TBC -

* * *

School's starting soon, don't expect quick updates.

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, so our updates are infrequent at best, non-existent at worse. And I admit it's my fault? I think (I'm the writer part  
of this freak show btw). Bet my co-author is laughing her ass off at my admittance. But I did it. And here's the update. So  
there.

Oh, and reviews work. I only got truly inspired to finish up what was left (which was at least 3-4 scenes I think…) when  
our latest reviewer **idbur** reviewed. So if you need someone to thank, thank him/her. And keep the reviews coming.

**  
Author's Notes Part II:**

(as written by the plot generator)

Yes, I am laughing my ass off. Mwahaha.

**Idbur **really gave us a shock when s/he reviewed. We didn't think there'll be many of our original readers left. I'm glad  
that our original story could not be remembered much though, it had an "I can't believe I actually wrote this piece of crap"  
feel to it.

The plot generator does work too! I may not be the writer of this duo but that doesn't mean that I don't write at all…  
Chapters which retain the greatest amount of my writing are the side stories with random paragraphs and sentences  
(by writer) scattered here and there for added detail and depth. My writing style is very straight to the point so if I were  
the only one writing this, chapters would be at most half the length you see here… so thank the great procrastinator up  
there.

As a reward for reading through the longer than usual AN, we have an omake for our dear readers, as written by yours  
truly.

**

* * *

  
Omake**

He was dirty, hungry and tired. Almost every night now he had been plagued with nightmares of stickmen with dual  
coloured hair booting him out of the palace and preventing him from indulging in his food and his bed.

Captain Tyson of the Royal Guards woke up with a muffled scream, limbs tangled in his sleeping bag. Again.

He sat up straight, hair plastered on his forehead with sweat, and a hand to his heart to calm it.

"Today's the last day, just bear with it Tyson." He muttered to himself. "You can gorge yourself on proper food when you  
get back."

His deputy entered the tent just then and saluted.

"Sir! Awaiting your orders to continue the search, Sir!" the man barked.

Tyson waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, go on."

"But sir… we're waiting for you."


End file.
